Anakin or Vader?
by Lady Ice
Summary: Ever notice how everyone has a clone? Palpatine, Isard, GA Thrawn? This is the story of a clone. But is the clone like Anakin or Vader? And is he as strong in the Force? How are the Skywalkers going to handle this? NEW CHAPTERS NOW UP!
1. Edge of Light and Dark

Palpatine looked down at the medical displays. Around him 21B droids bustled around putting things in order and caring for the priority one patient Palpatine had had admitted.  
  
Young Darth Vader had been retrieved from the river of lava pouring from the volcano in critical state. Resiprators were the only thing keeping the man breathing. That and the amassings of Dark side energy that surrounded him. Palpatine aka Lord Sidious was responsible for those. It was the only thing keeping his forceful apprentice alive and the odds were not in thier favor.   
  
"Sir, we are sorry but we will have to wait and see if -." The droid's attempts at affected optimism were cut off by the abrupt departure of the Emperor from the room.   
  
As Sidious stormed away from the medical bay, his Sithly desire for revenge pounded through his brain. He would be damned if he would let some vaunted Jedi fool steal two of his apprentices from him.  
  
Obi-wan Kenobi had already killed his first apprentice at Naboo. Darth Maul had been a most promising warrior, faithful and obiedient. Although his raw connection to the Force was nowhere near the strengh Vader had even this close to death, he had the patience and training of a lifelong Sith. Vader's training had come from the Jedi of all places and his turning had been due to the more subtle talents of his new Master rather than any real devotion.   
  
"If he does come out of this," the thought rose through Palpatine's mind. "He will never be able to live without either a resppirator and serious use of the Dark Force." The cold and evil smile crossed his face. "His loyalty will be of no import compared to his need of my favor." But what was the use of a servant strapped to a bed in the medical ward? Or roaming around on a respirator? Even one as powerful as Vader had shown potential of being. How were either to inspire fear in his enemies? And if Vader ever developed ambitions for himself as Sith were so apt to do, how could he protect his power base?  
  
In his chambers now, he thought of a way to bring his youthful Vader back, should the need ever arise.   
  
***  
  
Late at night, the medical bay had been cleared of all except the fallen   
warrior. The Emperor entered, followed by his two best specialists in the area of flash imprinting wheeling in the most advanced equipment in existence.   
"Take a careful reading. It is to be perfect. I don't care how long you take." Under the baleful stare of their Emperor, the technicians were loath to bring up how illegal this was. They figured it wasn't worth dying over. After about three hours, they signalled they had finished.  
"Good. Take it to the Spaarti cylinder downstairs and start the thing growing."   
  
"Your Majesty, you do know that it will take at optimum fifteen to twenty years for this clone to be of any use to you." The more junior tech ventured.  
Mercifully he was ignored by his Emperor.  
Palpatine had the cylinder moved to a secret base of the ancient Sith Order, that only truly iniated Sith ever heard of.  
  
  
And so, as Vader did eventually get better and was equipped with a portable respirator, the clone was forgotten. But it remained intact and stored within it's memory was the mind of a young man on the brink of the line which divided the light and dark side of the Force.   
  
The years passed.  
  
And then he woke up.  
  
  
Okay. Hope you liked it. I will continue only when I have seven reviews. Ideas are begged for. When does he wake up? Will he follow Anikin or Vader's path? How does he interact with his family/ friends/ Jedi/ Sith/ etc,.? Please as always R&R. Thanks. :-)  



	2. What to do?

Thank you for all your reviews. It was so nice to see them. I'm sorry this was so late in coming, I couldn't get on-line for the past week. More chapters will follow, including alternate endings if you want them. Send ideas, no promises. Again, after seven R&R's.... And now on to the story.   
~~~~*~~~~   
  
Leaning back in his chair, he let out a deep breath. Okay, what now?   
Thinking back over the last memories he had, Anakin was almost disbelieving.   
How could I have done that? Obi-wan was my Master, my friend, how could   
I have believed that serpentine bastard! Calm down right now. There is no anger, only peace. Only the Force, the Light Side.   
Anakin had felt the control he had over the fire burning inside him start to slip. He couldn't slip. It was so hard to control sometimes. Great Force, Padmé. How could he have believed such lies about her, while she bore his child no less. How could I believe that about her?   
All right, just take stock of what to do right now, there will be time enough for brooding later. He rubbed his hands over his face.   
He was in a tapcafe on Ord Mantell. He had gotten passage on a ship   
from..... Where had he been? Some dark, evil place. Anyway, things were a little different now. Twenty-eight years, the bartender said. Well, at least Palpatine was dead. He wouldn't have to risk his soul killing him. And Vader, Oh. Vader had obviously gone on without him.   
It was clear to him now. Diabolically clear. I'm a clone. That makes sense.   
It hadn't been too long after the clone wars, and after he'd, No. Vader. After Vader had fallen into that pit, he would have been too injured to live. Except with the Dark Side helping. So, Palpatine didn't want to lose me, him, Vader? But I'm still Anakin, I'm still as strong in the Force as I was and it's as hard to control as ever. How can I...?   
I have kids now? Luke and Leia? How did they escape Vader? What had   
happened to Padmé and Obi-wan? How had Obi-wan's wife dealt with... no that   
had been a lie told by Palpatine. I am such a gullible fool to believe him. She must have stayed with them. But then, if they were alive, why couldn't he feel them? He felt his son, blazing out there on Coruscant, his sister somewhat more faintly. Should he go to them? Tell them what had happened? But what had happened? They must hate me for what I, what my other half was, how could they ever accept me? I'm only the clone of their father. Do I have the right to barge in and turn their lives upside down?   
  
The arrival of a complete stranger interrupted his reverie.   
"Are you okay?" A feminine voice asked him. Her slight form slid onto the stool next to him.   
"Please go away."   
"You look like you need help. Are you in trouble?"   
Anakin didn't answer.   
Taking his silence as a cue to back off she turned to the barkeep.   
"Hey Jorrin, I'm looking for Ogin. I need him for a job."   
"Ogin's gone Saalot, the Imps still have this sector remember? He decided   
to make himself scarce. There are a lot of out of work pilots here though. If you were looking."   
  
Listening to their conversation, Anakin saw the opportunity to do what he always did when he was this frustrated. Race. As far and as fast as he could.   
"I'm a pilot." Anakin spoke up "I really don't have much else to do."   
"What's your name?"   
"I'm Anakin."   
"Like Skywalker Anakin?" She gave him a teasing smile. "What's the rest   
of it?"   
"Just Anakin." He could tell that bearing the name of Skywalker would draw a bit too much attention to himself. Besides, did he really have the right to it?   
"You any good?" Saalot considered him for a moment. "You ever piloted a   
YT-1210-class freighter?"   
"I can fly anything you got."   
"I'll ride along and see how it goes this time. If it works out, I'll consider maybe hiring you for a while. Meet me at hanger twelve tomorrow morning."   
After receiving his thanks, Saalot left the tapcafe. Before she could go home, a shadowy figure stopped her.   
"Saalot." Jorrin had snuck out the back to catch her. "That guy is weird. He was asking questions like the Empire never happened. If you're gonna do this, be careful."   
"As long as he flies and doesn't try to steal my ship, I don't care what era he's living in. He doesn't have the feel of a glit-biter to me."   
"You don't know what he is. He doesn't have to use spice, he could be a wanted criminal. I know you Corellians don't care much for odds but,- "   
"Jorrin I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." She said with a kind smile. "Good night."   
  
***   
  
Anakin thought about what he was doing. I have to go fast. "I'm sorry Master Yoda," he said in his mind. "But I need to run for awhile, until I can get a handle on things."   
  
But even as he showed up for his new job the next day, he still wondered what he was going to do, and how he could ever fix the mistakes his other half had caused.   
Or if he should even try.   
  
~~~~*~~~~   
Okay. Don't worry. Anakin will eventually get together with his kids and grandkids. I stress EVENTUALLY. This takes place after Courtship, so Anakin is actually a few years younger than Luke and Leia. He's still got to come to grips with everything. I also like to explore alternate endings, so for those of you who were dying for an uninhibited young Darth Vader the possibility is still there. But I'll need a specific request. Please R&R   
  
PS: The only serious change I'm making is that Anakin is the strongest Jedi since the last 'chosen one'. Okay? With all respect to Luke and Kyp, the current two top, there is meaning to the term 'chosen one' and for good or ill Anakin is it. His Force potential soars past those in the new order of Jedi and rightfully so. Anakin clone is like the Force giving Anakin another chance to be good.   
(At least in this version)


	3. Past and Future

Hi, I'm sorry this is so late. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Jedi   
Jade aka Ghostly Image for getting me back to writing it, And to Pallas-Athena,   
mishi, mvdiva, Bob DeFrank, Padawan Jan AQ, Hau Tran Quang, KT, Renee,   
Belladonna Jaide, Laura Jade, Keeper of Dreams, Lady Serenity Moon, Redone,   
~Sparks~, and Twinnie, for all your conscientious reviews. They're like gold.   
School has gotten it's slimy, ugly, creativity-killing claws into me. So, I'll try to   
get into a writing streak, but if I can't, please still check in every once in a while and don't   
hesitate to e-mail me with nagging about the story. Any suggestions would be great; I   
can't make many promises. I know where I want Ani to go I'm just having problems   
getting him there. Oh and can we name Ani's ship something please? Suggestions would   
be great. I'm not kidding when I say school KILLS creativity. Here's the 3rd chapter, I   
hope you like it.   
  
The Star Wars Universe is the inspired creation and property of George Lucas, (he needs   
to be awarded something. He just has to.). It is the delight of millions, and I hope he will   
forgive my presumption, directing his people in my own story line.   
  
~~~~*~~~~   
  
Past and Future   
  
Life was pretty good. He had a steady job as Saalot's pilot and had even bought a   
ship of his own a month into his job. A husk of course. He was having the time of his   
life making her spaceworthy in his spare moments. He had picked up the reputation of   
not only being among the best pilots, but of having the talent of being able to cobble   
together equipment from almost anything (and having it work better than factory new   
parts). The friends Anakin made were calling him Ani in no time, but surprisingly, Ani   
felt no pain at his old nickname.   
  
Despite his new life, the past never lost its grip on him. It seemed sometimes that   
Padmé would be around the next corner, laughing and singing along to that soloist she   
had loved. Or Obi-wan would join in with his camaraderie. He could not seem to get   
over the pain of losing his family.   
  
One time, he had gone back to Naboo on a shipping run. It was nothing compared   
to what it once had been. Its people closed and mistrustful. The Gungans had   
disappeared without a trace.   
  
On that first trip he had scoured the bookstores and antique shops trying to find a   
holo of his wife. All he was able to come up with was a book that detailed her career   
from Princess of Theed to Queen and all the way up to Senator. It was obviously an old   
edition. It had holos, but they were of official gatherings and royal functions. The   
woman that peered through the light at him was not his Padme. It was the Queen, or   
Madame Senator. One old lady took pity on him and offered him a clue as to where he   
could find Amidala's more personal effects.   
  
It was a dusty, dirty place she had directed him to. The man in charge asked   
exorbitant prices, but it had been worth it. Most of it was filled with palace treasures and   
knickknacks, nothing he was interested in. Apparently one of this man's relatives had   
kept a scrapbook of the Queen. Most of the holos showed Padmé doing more officious   
things but some of them; he could almost forgive the breech of the privacy that they had   
tried to surround themselves with. They were doing things together. Dancing, talking,   
having dinner. There was even one of her in a garden. How this person had gotten the   
angle, he'd never know, but her smile was shining up at him again, Ithorian roses framing   
her face. There was even a shot of Obi-wan and Jade, his wife. They looked so perfectly   
happy. Sinking down onto a dusty table, Anakin searched through every page of that   
treasured book.   
  
Ani had to be practically thrown out of the house he was thanking the man so   
much. Amused by the mile wide grin that split the face of his customer, the storekeeper   
promised that he would save anything about the Queen for this strange young man.   
  
  
  
Some of his friends found it amusing that he apparently had a 'crush' on a long   
dead old woman. Ani let it go, knowing that whenever one of them needed a "favor",   
they'd forget all about it. Saalot was less amused. She tried to be logical. (Four months   
after he got the ship)   
  
"Ani, what planet are you from?" She asked in consternation.   
  
"My earliest memories are from Tatoonie."   
  
"Then why are you obsessed with some Nubian politician?"   
  
What could Ani say to that? Gee, boss, she was my wife before I was made a   
clone. "You wouldn't understand, Saalot. Anyway, what are the Starlight and I hauling   
to Kuat this run?"   
  
"You're not. We have a lag in our schedule, and I wanted to drop home for a bit.   
I wondered if maybe you'd like to see Coruscant."   
  
"I haven't been there for a while so, sure when do we…"   
  
They were interrupted by a visitor.   
  
"Ahoy the Starlight!" The words were heavily accented Basic. "Hey Saalot, I was   
looking for you at your office and they said to try here. I need a favor before I get back   
to…" The man entered the ship. "Oh. You're busy, I'll come back later." And he started   
to edge out the door.   
  
"Don't be silly, meet Ani, our new pilot. Or, at least he was new five months ago.   
Ogin, where have you been?"   
  
"What, I had to leave on an emergency and you just replace me? What happened   
to all our years?"   
  
"Ogin, we had deadlines and you just disappeared and no one knew where you   
went."   
  
"But I was on a business trip, Saalot. I found a new client for ya." The confident   
smile that followed his appeasing tone really got on Ani's nerves. Ogin was being smug   
in an abrasive, possessive way. Barely half a minute with this guy and Ani was almost   
cringing.   
  
"Look, Ogin, let's go back to the office and talk about it there. I'll see you later   
Ani." She tried to send him a reassuring smile before she led Ogin off.   
  
To cool down a little bit, Ani went and fiddled with his ship. It was pretty much   
spaceworthy now; it had a hyperdrive, shields, and all the basics, he was just tweaking   
them a little bit. The weapons and security systems were done; you don't dock a ship on   
Ord Mantell without some means of defense. And the hyperdrive was… his kinda son-   
in-law, would not have been able to keep up. She wasn't a large ship, Ani could fly her   
alone, but she had a decent sized cargo hold and room for three, if they didn't mind being   
a little squashed. So, when anyone came on board, Ani couldn't help but notice them.   
  
"Well Ani, the regulator I got won't fit my ship, do ya think you could have a   
look?" Jain was a trader who skirted the edge of legality. Most of the time, his cargo was   
just innocent goods, but other times, well, just how much riifflefruit did Ryloth really   
need?   
  
"Sure, let lock up here and we can head over to Jorrin's for lunch and then fix that   
thing." The two headed over to the tapcafe and inside.   
  
"What will it be gents?" Jorrin asked, turning around. "Ani! Giinger Ale or Hot   
Chocolate?"   
  
"We're never gonna get you to try something stronger are we?" Jain commented.   
"You just don't know what you're missing. I'll have a Corellian Brandy."   
  
"The Ale, please Jorrin." Though a friendly smile was on his face, Ani felt   
relieved. Even after five months and whatever number of decades not actively using the   
Force, he still burned inside with that power that never left him. He was not going to lose   
control over it. The Universe had already seen a Skywalker Sith; it was not seeing a   
Skywalker drunk.   
  
Normal, everyday banter rose at the table. How trade was going, how much the   
Hutts were interfering with business, the recent romantic affairs of the group, etc.   
  
Caught up, Jain led Ani to the berth where his ship was docked. As they neared   
the ship, Imperial tie-fighters screamed overhead. Ord Mantell was still an Imperial held   
world, one of the last this close to Coruscant, and they defended it jealously. They exited   
the atmosphere and Ani was met with a surge of Force, but he wasn't using it. Lightly   
touching the mind of the pilot of the X-wing the Ties were engaging, he felt, quite   
clearly….   
  
  
"My son." The words came unbidden to his mouth. Quickly, before Luke could   
feel his presence, not really thinking, Ani reached towards the Ties with the Force and   
swatted them. They spun in space, living, but losing their prey and the X-wing   
disappeared into hyperspace with a flash of light. Before it did, Ani felt the surprise and   
excitement coming from its occupant.   
  
  
'Sith!' 


	4. Leaving

"Sith!" The surge of success coming from Luke before he had jumped into hyperspace assured Ani he would be coming back. Soon.  
  
"I have to go." In a daze Ani wheeled back towards his ship.  
  
"Hey!" Jain cried, catching hold of his friend's arm. "I bought you lunch! You're gonna fix this regulator!" Jain had seen the Tie fighters and figured that something about them had caused Ani to mutter about his son. Son? The kid was barely twenty-five. Anyway, he was not about sacrifice good credits to Ani's mysteries.  
  
"Fine." Ani grabbed the faulty part, jumped into the maintenance well, opening himself to the Force. It was like coming home. Even though thoughts were whirling through his head, and he was still far from calm, the simple repair and installation were instinctive. Barely a half-hour later, he was back in his ship, seeing if he would be able to coax a little more speed from the sublight engines and reinforcing the shields.  
  
In that brief touch with Luke's mind, he had seen the fact of the Knight's search for an ally to train. Knowing that Padme's tendency for stubbornness had to be in Luke somewhere, he had little time to get as far away from Ord Mantell as he could.  
  
Ani's old affinity with mechanics was heightened by his conscious use of the Force. He stopped every once in a while to make sure that he was calm and using the light side, but otherwise he worked straight through the night and well into the next day.  
  
Ani had no idea how much time had passed when he emerged from his ship. He headed to Jorrin's.  
  
Once there, he headed to a shadowy corner with his drink and dinner, deep in thought. Luke is coming. I have to go, I can't destroy his life again. What was he even doing here? Where do I go from here?' He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice Ogin plunk himself down in the seat across from Ani.  
  
"So you're Ani?" The pilot said with a sneer. "Boss' looking for you. Saalot seems to think you're the Empire's gift to flying. I don't see it myself, but you know, whatever the boss says-. What's up with you?" Ogin glared across the table at him, finally noticing the complete lack of attention his successor was giving him.  
  
Ani finally looked up. "Sorry? I didn't hear you."  
  
"How could you not have heard me, I'm sitting right here? What's up?"  
  
"I'm-uh, thinking of leaving for a while." Ani was only halfway into the conversation, not really thinking about his answers.  
  
Ogin was, and he decided to take advantage of the easiest way of making unwanted competition disappear. "Well, that would be tragic Ani, but you know, I've worked with Saalot and the Starlight before, I could take over for you. It's not like you'd be leaving her in the lurch. What's the problem? You running from somebody?"  
  
"Yeah, sort of, um, you mentioned Saalot, did she say she wanted me for something?" Ani rose to go.  
  
"Oh no, I just thought-"  
  
"Okay, I'll go, it was nice to meet you. Again. Ogin." Still deep in his own problems Ani walked out.  
  
Ogin was fuming. He wasn't used to being ignored so completely. He was a large man, for a human, and he wasn't about to let some kid steal his job and then insult him. Jorrin came over to clear the plate and mug from Ani's table.  
  
"Can you believe that kid, walking out on me like that? I've never been so insulted. He's running off on Saalot, did you know?  
  
"What are you talking about? Ani's a decent guy. He's responsible and is never late with shipments; he wouldn't abandon her or the business. I think you're jealous." Ogin followed him over to the counter.  
  
"Really? Than why is he so distracted? Saalot's been looking for him since zenith yesterday, and no sign of him. He just said he was running away from something."  
  
"I don't believe you. Hey," Jorrin yelled to get the whole tapcafe's attention. "Anyone notice anything strange about Ani lately?"  
  
"Yeah!" A voice spoke up. "Remember when those Ties screeched over yesterday?" Jain came over to where Ogin and Jorrin were standing. "Ani stopped dead for a minute, muttered something and then tried to bolt."  
  
"What? Then what happened?"  
  
"He tried to bolt. I stopped him, 'cause he owed me a repair job. He raced through it too, I'd complain, but it's flawless work; you can't even tell it was broken."  
  
"Where'd he go after he fix it?"  
  
"I don't know. Probably his ship. You know how he's been re- building that old wreck."  
  
"Hasn't looked like a wreck lately." By this time all the regulars in the place were interested in their best mechanic/pilot. They all looked over at the veteran spacer who had spoken.  
  
"What do you mean Roa?"  
  
"I mean when Lwyll and I came in this morning, I went to look at it. It's done. I don't know what Ani's been working on so busily in there. Maybe tweaking things a little bit, but otherwise, she's spaceworthy."  
  
This may not seem like big news to the average traveler, but these guys knew Ani. They knew how hard he had been working. They knew that this ship was more than just a repair job to him, it was an almost religious experience. Or at least, that's how they saw it.  
  
"It wasn't done last week."  
  
"Didn't he still have to put the hyperdrive in?"  
  
"What's he gonna call her?"  
  
"This must mean he'll be leaving!"  
  
"He's abandoning Saalot!?!" The hue and cry over this was just what Ogin wanted. Ani may have been friends with everyone, but Saalot was beloved. She had pulled almost every spacer in the place out of trouble or ruin at least once. Chuckling to himself, Ogin slipped out into the night, while Jorrin tried to calm everyone down. 'Ha.' He thought 'That will teach you to move in on my job Ani. You better be getting out of here real quick, 'cause it'll get ugly for you around here. I'll make sure of it.'  
  
***  
  
Ani, meanwhile, was oblivious to all this. The next morning he was ready to go. He had already filled up his ship with enough supplies to last for a long while. He transferred his belongings from the locker on the Starlight, including the scrapbook he had picked up on Naboo. Now all he had to do was tell Saalot he was leaving. It was not going to be easy. Luckily, he was spared having to leave the ship. He opened the door just as Saalot was raising her hand to knock.  
  
"Ani! Where have you been? I've been looking for you for days and then when I ask Jorrin if he's seen you, he starts mumbling that you're leaving. What in space is going on?"  
  
"Jorrin's right, Saalot. I'm not sure how he found out, but he is right. I was coming to tell you, but anyway, I have to go and I can't explain."  
  
"Excuse me? You think I can replace you that easily? Ani, where do you think I can find someone who is as reliable as you? I can't believe that you're-."  
  
"Look, you aren't short, Ogin's here and he knows the Starlight and can do very well, if not better. If I stay-," Ani's voice trailed off in a sad shake of his head.  
  
"What happened? Weren't things going well? I mean, everyone likes you. Um- is it the pay? I'll increase it, just don't," she sighed. "Don't leave."  
  
For a long minute, they just looked at each other. They had grown to be friends, and both knew that they would miss each other. But, even so, Ani knew, just as strongly, he had to leave.  
  
"Saalot, someone will come around looking for me. I don't, I can't see him right now. It's just too -. Anyway, could you just not tell him anything? You know me best and if he could stop looking for me, it would be the best thing for everyone."  
  
"What are you talking about? Someone's looking for you? Ani, you don't get so much as a speeding ticket in spaceports. What is wrong?" Her inquiries fell on deaf ears. Infuriated at being so rudely treated after her best pilot told her he was bailing, she followed his gaze.  
  
Across the landing bay, four stormtroopers, along with a maintenance crew, were investigating a cargo ship that had come in a few hours ago. Their voices carried. "Says it came in from Corpus Major, but the trajectory was more like Imperial Center." One of the mechanics said. A stormtroop replied, "That's rebel territory now, we'll have to question the owner." All of a sudden, the group seemed to change their minds. "Corpus major? Long trip, I- oh, hello sir." The mechanic greeted the captain of the stormtroopers, who looked thoroughly confused. "Everything in order?" Recieving an affrimative answer, the squad moved on.  
  
That did seem odd to Saalot, but not worthy of the alarm that was scrawled across Ani's face. "Sith." His eyes started scanning the spaceport. He started talking, hurredly. "Saalot I need to leave now. I'll be back I guess. Maybe I can meet you at a Ships and Services conference sometime." He turned and ran up the ramp. As he drew it in and started to seal the hatch, Saalot heard a muffled, "May the-, Goodbye Saalot, I'll miss you." Less than two minutes later, the ship started to rise in one of the fastest cold-start procedures she had ever seen. The sleek shadowed blue and gray vessel streaked off through the atmosphere of Ord Mantell, into space. What had that been all about?  
  
Saalot made her was back to Jorrin's tapcafe and sat down in a daze.  
  
"He's gone." Jorrin came over to stand across her at the bar, proceeding to pour her a drink.  
  
"Gone? Ani? Why? What was he thinking?"  
  
"He mentioned that someone would be coming after him, but that doesn't make sense, he-. What does it matter? He's gone. He even flew through some excuse that he would try to find me someday. Oddly I belive him. Of all the men who I've helped and have left then lied, somehow I belive him." She stared deep into her cup, musing.  
  
"You know you weren't acutally dating Saalot. It isn't as if-."  
  
"I know that!" Saalot snapped back. "He's a good colleague. He saved the company serious credits in repairs, and time off runs. He'll be missed but not irreplaceable. I'll take him up on his suggestion and ask Ogin back. It will be as if he was never here."  
  
"It'll be okay. He'll shake whoever is following him and come back, you'll see. Then you dump Ogin, or whoever you decide to have fill in for Ani."  
  
"I have a terrible feeling that the next time I see him, he'll be completely changed. Like I never knew him."  
  
"Why would you think that? Ani's about as predictable as a squad of stormtroopers."  
  
"But that's just it! Why would he leave all of a sudden, out of the blue? Like before, when I caught up with him, he was definitely trying to get out of here and then he was watching a bunch of Imps and they seemed to change their minds about a ship they had thought suspicious and Ani got panicked. He practically bolted out of here. So, so quickly."  
  
"Maybe it's the Imps. Jain said he bolted a few days ago after seeing a couple of Ties fly overhead."  
  
"But he's been around Imps before. He's never acted quite this way."  
  
"So Saalot, I hear you're short a pilot." Ogin plunked down precisely where he wasn't wanted. "When can we discus my rates?" Ogin never bothered to lower his voice so the whole tapcafe heard him.  
  
"Who left Saalot? It wasn't Ani was it?! I'll kill him, he had no right to bail on you like that!" Were only some of the cries that assaulted neighboring ears. Others were dismayed. "Now who's gonna fix my hyperdrive for me? I'll have to use those cheap, over pricing Imp mechanics. Man, I wonder who's gonna win the trade races now? I'll have to place another bet." With all the commotion, none noticed a tow-headed man in black slip quietly out the door.  
  
  
  
~~~~  
  
Okay. The guy mentioned in the last paragraph was Luke. Obviously. He was also the one messing around with the Imperial minds. So what did you think? How bad was it? Listen, Ani is going to realize the magintude of what he did when he tried to save Luke and decide he needs to train again to use the Force. Will he go to his son? Will he strike out on his own? Is Saalot ever going to see him again? Should she, or should Ani remain faithful to the memory of Padme? And is Ogin just a jerk, or has he been up to something sinster for the past six months? All this and more when I get seven more reviews. Or maybe six. Thank you. 


	5. Spectre of the Past Vison of the Future

He had been gone from Ord Mantell for a few days. Already, he missed his   
friends. It hadn't taken more than two hours after he'd jumped planet to realize he   
did not have any idea what to do. 'I can't go to any of the places my runs would   
take me,' Ani thought, planning. 'Ogin or some of the guys would definitely sell   
out that info after I left like that. What am I going to do?'   
Finally, he decided to meditate on the problem. Getting into the trance was   
difficult; his mind kept whirling with the events of the past few days. Reaching a   
somewhat calm state, the impressions he got were unclear and hazy. Voices   
sounded, unintelligible. Fragments of past faces appeared out of a swirling mist.   
Mist. Cold, foreboding, suffocating mist. Why did it fill him with terror? The Force,   
no matter how hard he tried, was unresponsive. This didn't make sense. He had   
just used the Force, and in situations much more dire; why did it come so   
reluctantly now? He felt like a naive nine-year-old again. He had access to the   
Force, but he couldn't control it.  
Coming out of the trance, Ani moved to the cockpit and settled back in to   
the pilot's seat. Stars streamed about him in the dance of light that was   
hyperspace. As he stared out into space, His mind drifted away from the problems   
besetting him, and onto his ship. He hadn't even named her. Hmm. She had   
flown beautifully. The smooth, sleek lines of her were almost worthy of one of   
those sea creatures of Naboo. What had Padmé called them? Salions? Sleians?   
Sleals! That was it! Sleals. Ani smiled as an image of them came to his   
mind.   
  
Theed had been built on a great river, on top of the waterfalls. Sometimes,   
little creatures would be pulled away from the calmer pools and brooks upstream   
by the powerful current. Then, if they were lucky, they would be tossed to the   
edge of the wake and caught by the booms kind citizens would put out to shunt   
them into a calmer bay of the city.  
One day, he and Padmé had been close to a fall, walking along one of the   
balconies overlooking one such lagoon. The spray from the falls was tossed up by   
the wind into a spectacular band of color that they were watching. A faint strip of   
silvery-white caught Padmé's eye as it tumbled about in the waves. Reacting,   
Anakin had pulled the little animal in a tight Force grip; just enough to bring it into   
the waters of the bay. The sleal came to rest on the safety step in the water below   
the balustrade. Both Padmé and Anakin watched as it caught its breath. Anakin,   
having grown up on a desert planet, had never seen anything quite so flowing and   
sleek.  
"What is it Padme?" Anakin had said as he looked at the little creature.   
Her relieved voice was warm as she said, "Those are sleals Anakin. They're   
very soft. We used to have one for a pet when I was little."  
"Really," Anakin had asked "What did you call it?"  
"Knight." The Padmé in Ani's memory laughed. "He was so defensive   
whenever any adult came into the room. None of our visitors could set foot in our   
house without him honking and making a tremendous racket. Yané said he was   
the Queen's Knight." Padmé looked back at Anakin with a smile shining in her   
eyes.  
"Hey, that's my job." Anakin had cried, half-indignantly.  
  
"Padmé's Knight." Ani tried the name on for size. Alright. Why not. "Ship,   
I christen you, Padme's Knight." Ani reached down to the transponder and   
entered the ships' name. "May you fly well and may the Force always be with you   
and your passengers."  
Smiling over happy memories, Ani had buried his problems and drifted into   
sleep. Into a world of horrible dreams.  
  
***  
  
"Aaahhh!" Ani sat straight up in his bunk. The first few moments were   
spent reiterating the nightmare he had just been living. Blood, an orange richer   
than a sun-shot sky, was dripping from the blackened gold flesh in front of him.   
The Blood Carver Ke Daiv was again dying in front of him. His first kill. His   
first slaughter. Pure emotions of hate and fear had flooded him once more as the   
desire to protect and to destroy 'became one'1 . This sentient had hurt Obi-wan,   
insulted Anakin's own honor and tried again to kill him and his friends. The   
undiluted strength of the Force had flowed, no, ripped through him in a tide of will   
Anakin could not control. And truthfully hadn't wanted to.   
The memory was crystal, as if it had just happened. Ani recalled the words   
he had cried out: "Stop it please, I can't hold it back any longer!"2 But he also   
knew the rage of true meaning that had screamed just as loudly inside of him.   
Power. Triumph. Freedom. Relief.   
Only seconds later, once he had seen what he had done, once he saw the   
burnt, torn, skin of this being in agony solely because of him, did Anakin truly   
regret his action.  
His first slaughter. Merely because he'd lost control.  
Grief wizened his young face as the message the Force had given him sunk   
in. "I've done it again." Ani said aloud. "When I saved Luke, I lost control. Far   
worse than losing my anonymity or destroying Luke and Leia's lives, I lost control.   
I gave in to the dark side again."   
Despairing, his mind filled with misery. "How can I possibly ever,-" And   
then, it hit him. "I'll train again. I still remember all the exercises, katas and   
mediations. Maybe if I continue my training I can control it better. Maybe now that   
I know what I am capable of," Ani's mind flicked to the more recent memories of   
his brief stint as Palpatine's apprentice Vader. "maybe I might be more successful   
controlling it."   
"Can I do this alone? Obi, Master, friend. I couldn't do this even with you   
helping me and guiding me. How can I hope to go through this alone?"   
Exhausted, Ani fell into a fitfull sleep.   
***  
The voices were quiet at first. Somehow, in his dream they grew clearer   
until they were just barely audible.  
"Don't give up Ani. You are strong enough to go on. Trust your instincts."   
That couldn't be..... Qui-Gon?  
"Train you must, or lost all is." Master Yoda!   
"I trained you Ani, I know what you are capable of." Obi-wan! "And because   
of Anakin's decisions, now so do you. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, the   
Jedi will need you to bring balance again."  
"Master! I'm so, so, sor-."  
His pleas were cut off by the intensity of the vision that followed. Scarred,   
malformed beings were ripping through their Twi'lekki opponents, with some   
spitting, twisting weapon. Imperial and Calamari ships watched in vain with their   
allies as vessels, commanded by these creatures, shot fire into the stratosphere of   
a temperate world, immolating all life. A Jedi fell under the slobbering jaws of   
some hideous monster, unable to offer defense. Force adepts screamed as their   
captors cut down members of their team. One of them surged with darkness as   
her leader/brother died a violent death. The vision went on and on. Scene after   
scene of phantom foe, void in the Force slaughtering Jedi and citizenry alike.   
  
"Need you they will. Save you it can."  
"Master Yoda, how can this horror save me?"   
"You have something to work for." The warm voice faded as the only father   
he ever knew disappeared into the Force.  
Obi-wan spoke up. "After you train up to your knighthood, we need you to   
go and rescue the library at the Jedi sanctuary. You will know when best to show   
Luke. Until then, be wary and mindful of yourself in the Force. If you turn now, all   
is lost and the Jedi will truly die."  
The voices of Yoda Obi-wan faded into the Force.   
When Ani woke up he felt elated. He could finally make up for Vader's   
actions! Repair all the damage he had done. He would be a Jedi again. 'The only   
problem now,' Ani thought, 'is now the time to see Luke?'  
  
  
  
  
1. Taken directly from STAR WARS Rogue Planet by Greg Bear. Page 281 paperback edition.  
2. Taken directly from STAR WARS Rogue Planet by Greg Bear. Page 281 paperback edition.  
The title is so perfect for this. Please Timothy Zahn, forgive me. I'm not making any money.  
  
The footnotes are important. See Rogue Planet for a full account of Anakins first kill. 


	6. Teaser On Coruscant

Hi guys. Thanks for sticking with me. My muse isn't helping me with Ani's storyline, so I thought I'd show you what happened on the Twins' side of things. I am working on the rest of it. Please, come back soon. R&R. Thanks.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Walking up behind him, Leia noticed the vacant stare that grazed over the sparkling cityscape. "Luke, what wrong?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry Leia. Did I wake you up again?" Luke focused in on his sister.  
  
"Don't worry about it. It's nice to know when you're worried about something. It keeps me in touch." Her wry smile covered the regret she felt at the amount of time her duties took away from her family. In some ways, the Rebellion had been easier. "What's wrong? Ever since you've come back from Ord Mantell, something's been bothering you."  
  
"You know that when I was there before the first time, a couple of Ties picked up my trail?"  
  
"Yeah, that's why you went back in an old freighter. Which we need right now, by the way." Leia was referring to the shipping shortage.  
  
"Well, I almost didn't get away. Something helped me."  
  
Now Luke had Leia's full attention. "What do you mean helped you? With the Force?" Luke nodded. "But I thought Yoda told you that you were the last of the Jedi."  
  
"He did. So, I went back to see if I could find him."  
  
"And?"  
  
"If I felt him, he definitely felt me. He was gone by the time I heard about him, but only just. Some of his compatriots were outraged."  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"So, what do you think?" A frown creased Leia's face.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Luke this was in Imperial Space. He may be a dark Jedi. We don't know how many of them the Emperor had running around."  
  
"Or he may need help, and just be running from me, because of the Emperor's purges." Luke looked back over at the towering buildings. "If he were dark Jedi, why would he help me? And, when he attack the TIEs, he didn't kill them, he just spun them somehow so they lost me. A dark Jedi would just kill them."  
  
"Or take control of their mind." Leia added.  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"Luke, I think that you should wait to look for him. The Empire's in decline. We get more petitions for membership every day. Ackbar's fleet will be moving against the bases in that area in a few weeks, and then you could talk to these people and see where he may have gone. But we need you now. I don't want to risk your getting hurt."  
  
"Maybe you're right. Anyway, sorry I woke you up. How's Han? Are you enjoying being married?"  
  
But despite the change of subject, Leis knew her brother was still troubled.  
  
"Why does it bother you so much?" she asked.  
  
"He saved me. I can't thank him or help him. And something about him seemed so familiar to me."  
  
"Familiar?" Leia was truly alarmed now. All the light Jedi Luke had met were dead.  
  
"But not, at the same time. You know? Different."  
  
"Different? Different from who? Do you know who he reminded you of?"  
  
"No. That's what's been bothering me. It's so close. Right at the edge of my mind."  
  
"Did you learn anything on Ord Mantell?"  
  
"From the conversation, he was a good pilot, good mechanic, I think they called him Ani, but I'm not sure."  
  
"Anakin Ani? Luke are you sure Vad-." She paused. "Our father's dead?" Leia knew he was, she had seen his spirit once, but the question had to be asked.  
  
"His body disappeared into the Force, and I burned his armor on Yavin IV. He is dead."  
  
"Could you tell if he were using light or dark Force?"  
  
"That's another thing. It was definitely not dark, but not wholly light. Almost as if he acted without thinking."  
  
"Could he be untrained?"  
  
"That might be part of it." The doubt in Luke's voice was clear. "The way he manipulated the TIEs was very precise. I don't think that sort of finesse is possible without training of some kind."  
  
"Well, let's get some sleep." Leia said soothingly. "It's after three. It'll come to you.  
  
The Skywalker twins turned to go home. 


	7. Deep in the Dark

SPOILER ALERT!!! THIS AND SUBSEQUENT CHAPTERS CONTAIN ATTACK OF THE CLONE SPOILERS!!!!!! Thank you for all your patience and reviews. I'm polishing the 2nd half of this chapter and am working on the next four. Ilum and the setting that this installment takes place in is from the Jedi Quest book by Jude Watson. Events in that book are the ones being referred to.  
  
Uneasily, Ani settled the Knight on the icy ledge. It had been decades since he had been here last. Ilum. "Maybe I'm not ready for this." He thought. "But I must." Ani tried to reason with himself. "How can I hope to help Luke's new order if I hide away from the universe? How can I hope to atone if I cower in fear? Fear is of the dark side and easy is never for Jedi." Ani recalled the visions that had come with Anakin's first quest to build a lightsaber. It had taken Ani a month to work up the courage to go through it again. Exiting his ship, Ani let his gaze travel up the slippery crag he had to scale. The wind blew raw. He pulled his scarf tighter about his neck. "I still think they should have moved the crystals somewhere else." With a smile directed at his thirteen year old self, Ani slowly started to climb.  
  
Nearing the top, another important memory clicked. "What was it Obi- wan had told him? Base of the neck?" What could that have meant?" Ani crawled into the sheltering cave. "Base of the neck? Base of the neck and -." A sharp blow to his back sent him flying far, further into the chamber. "Watch the tail!" A huge beast stalked towards him, passing through the beam of light emanating from his torch. Gorgodons. Last time, Anakin and Obi-wan had had each other for support. Now, Ani had only himself. And he didn't even have a training lightsaber. As the creature advanced, Ani's gaze cast around for anything he could use for a weapon. Nothing. Still, thought the small part of him worrying about such things, he was controlling his fear. Seeing that its prey was cornered, the Gorgodon let out a shrill shriek that rang throughout the cave. The sound assaulting his ears caused Ani to duck in pain. Even the rocks grated from the reverberations, sending a fair amount of gravel showering from the ceiling. Despite the stinging hail, the reptile did not slow. The rain of stone gave Ani an idea. Feeling out through the Force, he started to pull at one of the larger rocks from its niche in the ceiling. It was already very loose, and Ani had to keep it suspended just long enough for the monster to spring. The Gorgodon was almost on him when the boulder hit it directly on the back of the neck. The beast collapsed under the stone as it crushed its spine. Heaving a sigh of relief, Ani crawled away. His senses stretched out through the Force to see if any other gorgodons were waiting in the shadows. He couldn't feel any. Okay. The easy stuff was over. Shrugging off his survival gear, Ani gathered the components of the blade he was planning on making. It was time to face his nightmares.  
  
Ani stepped into the dark, letting his fingers trace the stone walls, following the path of the Jedi lore engraved there. It was incomplete. The line had died during the Purges, thanks to him. 'No, thanks to Vader.' Ani quickly reminded himself. Again, a Jedi stepped out from the wall. While one of a truly ancient order had greeted Anakin on his first visit, this one came from an era closer to the Old Republic. Through the Force this warrior's words rang clear, "Why do you choose a Jedi's path? It will only lead you to sorrow." As his guide moved deeper within the cave, Ani chose to answer as he followed. "I know it does. It already has, but I cannot repeat my mistake." As they had so long ago, disjointed voices spoke to him. "What was your mistake?" "I let myself turn to the dark side. I lost control over my anger. I lost control and it-" Ani stopped. Ani could feel something force the light spirits away. The darkness was tangible now. Surrounding him like a heavy fog.  
  
Two tiny points of light coalesced from the mists in front of him. Whirling, the points grew until they resembled the size and shape of two orange bloodshot eyes mocking him. "No. Not again." Ani thought, his fear rose. The eyes had sockets to them now, red and black mottled skin crinkled in an evil smile. Ani was once again staring into the face of Darth Maul. Qui-Gon's killer. Vader's predecessor. His predecessor. "It led you to power! I told you." The Sith spirit rasped, a triumphant ring in his voice. "I was right! You now know the truth, anger leads to power, if you are brave enough to use it. But you learned the lesson too late. You didn't save your mother, did you?" Qui-Gon's killer mocked him. "You know better now, don't you? Well, look at this." Sounding almost surprised, Darth Maul pulled Ani into a vision. "How can you hope to save them, dark One, if you do not use your anger?" Fear clutched at his heart, as Ani saw what the Sith meant him to see. It was Luke. He was being hunted down by a pack of Imperial troopers. Ani watched his son trip and fall as a rifle lined up its target. The shot cracked through the air into a vision of Leia, pinned down in her chambers by blaster fire. As the door blew in, shrapnel sliced the air in a deadly crystalline rain. For a heartrending moment, Padmé's face superimposed upon his daughter's. And in Ani anger surged. He would not lose his family again! He would not! The dark mist was oppressive. "That's it." Lord Maul whispered. Ani was so ensnared, he didn't hear him. "Use your anger. Channel your fear, let it feed your hate and strike!" Deep inside him, Ani felt a starburst break. Power. All the power of the dark Force, roiling at his command. Surging to do his bidding. Just as he was about to let all the training and contemplation he had worked so hard on disappear in an explosion of dark power, Ani stopped. "No." Ani closed his eyes to the vision and visibly worked to contain his strength. "No. I will not turn for you, or them, or anyone else." He opened his eyes. And stared, not into Maul's blazing gaze but the cold, cruel sight of Palpatine. "But how can you save them, young Skywalker, if you do not try? You couldn't save your mother, the Jedi stole you from her. You failed to save your love, Padmé, thanks again to those weak whelps. Obi-wan wouldn't let you near her, even though he knew he couldn't protect her himself. Without your power, you fail Anakin Skywalker, Chosen One. And out of your failure, they all die." Scenes whirled through the mist. Over and over again, Ani saw the final moments of everyone he loved. Padmé's bloody, twisted body. Shimi, his mother, beaten, bruised and broken. And for his children, thousands upon thousands of tortured, painful possible ends. And no one could help them. "Anakin," Palpatine's voice wafted past his ears. "Save your family." Ani, still reeling from this final assault, maintained his calm. "I created you." Ani spoke quietly. "You are dead. Leave me." But it didn't work. Maul was back now. "You don't learn. I told you. You can't get rid of me. I will return, I am inside you. I always return." The Sith Lord laughed. A cold, chilling sound. "Go." An authoritative voice commanded. Strangely, that one syllable did what Ani could not. Maul faded away, his laugh fainter by the moment. Finally the burning eyes were the last to go, still mocking. The heavy mist lifted and Ani felt a solid and inviting presence that gave him courage. Looking up, Ani could not believe who he saw.  
  
Anakin Skywalker stood before him. 


	8. Clarity

Disclaimer: Sue me not. Me in college. Have no money.  
  
Anakin Skywalker stood before him.  
  
"Ani," Anakin said, a kind smile on his face. "You're not me. You have my memories, but you aren't me."  
  
"I know that. I never said that I-." Anakin gently cut his clone off.  
  
"You say this, and I know that you want to believe it. Unfortunately, in your mind, you have twenty-two year old me. I didn't know then, how to react reasonably instead of emotionally. I didn't know the extent of the kind of power I could wield. And most importantly, I didn't care about others."  
  
"Yes, you did. You cared about Padmé and Obi-wan and your mother." Ani protested.  
  
"But Ani, I didn't stop to care about strangers. That is an important part of being a light Jedi. I didn't care about that village of Tusken Raiders. I didn't care about any of the people I killed. I never considered what the ramifications would be. Most of the time I just acted, letting my emotions run away with me." Anakin continued. "You do it too. For instance, you lost control when you helped Luke. You reacted in defense of my family, and I thank you, but it wasn't needed. He can easily escape from TIE fighters, but you didn't consider that, and reacted. Consequently, you had to run from your life."  
  
Ani was clearly thinking over these interpretations. "But I didn't kill the TIE fighters, I just spun them." Thinking he had won a point, he looked up at his originator. "Yes, a fact that makes you more cautious and in control of yourself than I was. But, you still ran from your life, the part of you I could never be, nor ever was. You need a life Ani. Something to separate us and keep you light. You aren't me."  
  
"But, Yoda and Qui-Gon and Obi-wan said that Luke's new order would need my help. I don't want to get to the point where they need me and then I fail and mess things up again. Or if I get so attached I lose it when something goes wrong. If the Sith can manipulate me that easily I-." Ani shook his head in sad bewilderment. "I don't know what to do." He paused, thinking. "And I'm more in control only because of what you did as Vader. I don't want to see that happen again." Ani stared at the floor.  
  
No one spoke for a moment. When Ani looked up, he could see a brilliant smile on the middle aged face. "That's exactly right. What I did. You did nothing to kill those people; it is not your responsibility. Look,-." Ani cut him off.  
  
"But, I have those memories. I can still see every Jedi I-." He let out an exasperated sigh. "No, you killed. I can see every last Raider that followed my mother. I can see all of their deaths. And it's no different than if I had been the one behind the lightsaber, because in a way, I was.  
  
"I understand Ani, believe me." There was a long pause. "Let me carry the responsibility for their souls Ani. I know it's hard, and you feel guilty, but let it go. It is admirable that you learn from my crimes. By knowing that you are capable of the same kind of destruction, maybe you won't lose control.  
  
"Now, back to what you were saying. You're right, Luke will need you. You are the only one who can tell him of the ways of the Old Jedi Order. You are the only one who can show him where all the old Libraries and Sanctuaries are. Palpatine and I destroyed most of them, but you know where at least one of the hidden ones is. Okay. Besides that, you saw what's coming. You still remember right?"  
  
"How could I forget? What can hunt down Jedi that way? They weren't even outnumbered."  
  
"I know." The expression on Anakin's face reflected the seriousness of the situation. "To make the invaders go, the people of this galaxy will need all the Jedi and Force that they can get. But even more importantly, they will need to unite, and work for the common goal of getting rid of the Vong. They need to put their differences aside; otherwise they will become sub-sentient slaves and never be free again. The Force adepts would be sacrificed to their pagan gods, whole worlds would be destroyed far worse than Alderaan or Caamas. Compared to the Vong, Palpatine and the rest of the Sith lords were benevolent."  
  
"I can see that, but Anakin, I can help Luke rediscover Jedi Lore, I can help fight the invaders when they come, but how can you expect me to unite the whole galaxy?" The demands the Force was making on Ani were ridiculous.  
  
"We don't expect you to unite the whole galaxy; just try to encourage groups to be open to unorthodox alliances. You're going to be meeting some influential people. The Force will get you where you need to be. Please, stay light. That's the only way you have a prayer of helping anyone."  
  
"I'll try, but-." Anakin interrupted his clone.  
  
"No. Do," The emphasis was clear. "Or do not."  
  
"There is no try." Ani finished.  
  
"Don't forget, Peace-." Anakin begun the opening stanza of the Jedi Code.  
  
Ani continued it. "Over anger. Honor over hate. Strength over fear." Ani decided to repeat other reminders this visitation had clarified for him. "I must be considerate of strangers as well as friends. I must learn from the past without letting it consume me. And I must think and center before I act, or I'll lose the control I need."  
  
"Here, this might help you." Something flew out of Anakin's hands and landed in Ani's. Anakin's kindly face smiled down on him, as the Jedi faded away, into the Force.  
  
Slowly, Ani's mind rose out of the trance. He found himself sitting on the floor of the cave, with his back leaning up against the crystalline wall. It was pitch black. Thankfully, the air was clear, the dark left him alone.  
  
Feeling weight in his hands, Ani felt along the object. It had the cylindrical feel of a lightsaber hilt.  
  
Ani held the weapon out horizontally and depressed the button. Three feet of light extended into the dark. The blade was beautifully balanced and glowed a dazzling navy blue. Anakin had always favored his blade in a lighter shade, but Ani felt that this deeper hue suited him perfectly.  
  
After a few minutes, Ani realized he was mesmerized by the weapon's glow. Glancing up, he saw the light refracted and reflected in the obsidian cavern. It produced and effect similar to a stellar cartography lab; thousands of stars shining from the fabric of space.  
  
He bent closer to the wall to examine the engravings of the Jedi history. The record extended four thousand years, from the era of the Sith rule to merely a year before Anakin had turned.  
  
"I suppose I ought to be flattered." He'd known the appearance of the Sith was important enough to be etched in stone, the whole Qui-Gon story was right there. But he hadn't expected to find that whoever the Jedi had been who had carved this had included Anakin, the rumored Chosen One, as well.  
  
No one had ever explained that to him. What did balance mean anyway? "Do any of you even know?" he addressed to open air.  
  
The silence had an uneasy feel to it, as if there was something the knights of the old orders didn't want to tell him. Knowing full well the mysterious nature of the Force, Ani was not surprised. That prophecy didn't even apply to him; it had been Anakin's. It was over. He was content to let the question die unanswered.  
  
"Would you mind if I told you what happened next so that someone could, I don't know, complete the record?"  
  
At that the air laughed, in a way only a Force adept could interpret. "Can I take that for a yes?" 


	9. Chapter 6c

So Ani began to dictate the story of Anakin Skywalker. Strangely, the air seemed rapt, listening. He had started from the beginning, but as he neared the part that had not been engraved, Ani's eyes closed. He was losing himself in the memories. Before, he would have been panicked at the loss of control, but for whatever reason, he felt safe, warm.  
  
Words flowed from him without his having to think about it. Of course, he tried to limit his story to things that applied to the Jedi, he didn't think Anakin wanted future visitors to know every detail of his life, but he couldn't help describing some of the moments that were dear to him.  
  
Anakin's last coherent memory that Ani had was of the duel above the lava flows. Shuddering away from that time Anakin had raised his saber against Obi-wan; Ani gave a brief summary of the event and snapped out of his reverie. Freshly burned obsidian twinkled in the glow of his lightsaber. Now Ani understood; the record needed to be physically completed. The Force spirits had known the story, but could not engrave it themselves. So they had led Ani to do it.  
  
Strangely, he felt clearer. It was as if by getting the tale down, he was better able to separate Anakin Skywalker from himself.  
  
  
  
OK, I'm bored with this, so basically after this Ani's heading to one of the libraries that Obi-wan and Yoda was talking about. And that's where the next chapter picks up. Thank you for sticking with this. 


	10. Back in the World

Padmé's Knight dropped out of hyperspace.. Right in the path of an Imperial Star Destroyer.  
  
Dodging port, Ani sent the Knight into a steep climb, carrying his ship out of the plane the ISD occupied. His training had paid off. Though acting quickly, his mind was not panicked or angry.  
  
Strangely the ISD was not firing. No TIE's flew out to challenge him. A data stream ticked past on the conn. Ani switched the feed to audio.  
  
·Unidentified freighter, do not panic. ISD Id Errant Venture captained by Booster Terrik. We are not Imperials. Repeat: cease evasive action. ·  
  
All ISD's were Imperial, weren't they?  
  
·Errant Venture- · Ani sent back, ·Respectfully, I-uh, would like to know what's going on.·  
  
·The Errant Venture is a hyperspace capable trading depot. If your intentions are peaceful, please move to docking bay two. · The voice behind the message was obviously amused.  
  
Ani used his newly honed abilities to search the huge ship. Nothing of the Force indicated anything evil, just the minor duplicity found in any market. Checking his fuel reserves, he decided he couldn't risk another jump. Maybe he could buy fuel.  
  
·Landing in docking bay two. · he sent.  
  
·Approach approved. ·  
  
Ani eased the Knight away from all ion cannons and turbolasers in his path, just to be safe. After making a hesitant landing, he turned off the engines and started making sure all of his supplies were locked and stowed away. That done, he tucked his new lightsaber through the loops on the back of his belt. Riding horizontally, the blade was perfectly hidden by his jacket. Still, Ani knew that to come out of his ship without visible weaponry was sure to cause a close visit by the Venture's security. After rooting around in one of the hidden compartments, Ani strapped a holstered blaster to his side. Ready to go, he opened the hatch and lowered the ramp.  
  
"Hello sir." Greeted the Twi'lek standing at the foot of the settling ramp. "Would you like me to explain the order of things aboard the Errant Venture?"  
  
"All right."  
  
The envoy, as he introduced himself, proceeded to explain the fact that the Venture acted as a brokering agent for various cargo and as a rest stop for passing smugglers. "Most of our guests would prefer to remain discreet, so we only ask for your name and the transponder ID for your ship. That way whenever you return, we'll know you're friendly and invite you right in." The Twi'lek smiled and twitched his long lekk in what Ani knew to be a greeting.  
  
"Call me Ani, and this is Padmé's Knight."  
  
"Welcome Ani. My name is Kilr'aren. How can we help you?"  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if I could buy some fuel. Now that I have a choice, I don't want to risk another jump with the reserves so low. And I was also curious whether I could pay you in services rather than credits, I'm low."  
  
"Sure, we'll go to the front office and see what is available. There's a list of jobs and runs to be done." Kilr'aren said.  
  
"Thank you. At my last job, I ferried things around and fixed any mechanical problems that came up."  
  
"That sounds fine Ani. Welcome aboard. Please, leave your blaster. You won't need it. No one goes armed here."  
  
"Absolutely no one?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Ani sighed and left his blaster inside the hatch. Before leaving the ramp, he securely locked the door with a special lock only accessible by Jedi.  
  
The docking bay was not at all how he had imagined the inside of a Star destroyer to look. Ships of all origins, shapes, sizes and colors were neatly arranged in rows. Other than that there was no precise military decorum. The place was a riot of shouting running, laughing and all sorts of commotion. Sentients from all corners of the galaxy were loading, unloading and just having a good time.  
  
Kilr'aren directed him to the converted control deck they called an office. The transparasteel windows provided an excellent view of the ships and personnel below. "Ani, this is Silijar Haln'lya." Kilr'aren said, introducing the female Bothan behind the desk. "Silijar, this is Ani. He came in on the Padmé's Knight." All of them glanced out the window. Scanning the area around the Knight, they saw that the ship was drawing a sizeable crowd.  
  
"What are they doing to my ship?" Ani calmly asked, grateful for the lock.  
  
"They're looking at it." Silijar smiled reassuringly. "Most smuggler ships are, well- a little rough when it comes to their hull plating. Yours fit together very smoothly and looks to be made of quantum armor. Not a lot of laser burns though. Hasn't seen combat. Good hull, but how fast does she go?"  
  
"Eh. She goes pretty good. Got a lot of quirks though. Some systems are high maintenance."  
  
"Well hyperspace can be pretty boring if you don't have anything to do. What can I do for you?"  
  
Kilr'aren spoke up. "Ani needs a job to pay off a cache of fuel we're selling him."  
  
"All right Ani." Silijar started calling up menus on the terminal in front of her. "What can you do?"  
  
"I'm a fair pilot and I'm not too bad at fixing things. I did some repair work at my last job."  
  
"Well, let's see what's available." Looking at all the menus she'd called up, there were only a couple jobs that would match the price of the fuel. "Did you want an assignment to cover just the cost of the fuel or would you be willing to have the sum detracted from what we'd pay you for a larger job?"  
  
"It would depend on the job. There are some things I won't do. As well as some places I won't go."  
  
Such an adamant statement didn't seem to faze the Bothan a bit.  
  
"Most people are like that. We won't ask who you're running from."  
  
"Who said-?"  
  
"No one. Most smugglers are on the run from security on at least one world."  
  
Ani nodded in understanding. This was a smugglers hideout. That's why they'd mistaken him for one.  
  
"Well, there's a run to."  
  
"Excuse me Silijar? I'd rather not smuggle anything, if you don't mind. I want to stay off the radar."  
  
"Well, if you do it right, no one would know anything had happened." She smiled. "No problem, though. Let's see." She scrolled down the list. "There is a legitimate shipment to be delivered to Corellia. No contraband, just parts. We would send a courier that the recipient would recognize; you would just fly them there. Since you would be already be on Corellia, would you mind picking up some errands for us. It would save us time and earn you a bonus."  
  
"Corellia, I can do that. It's about a day in hyperspace. What's the cargo and what's the errand?"  
  
"A hyperdrive regulator with databanks. We have a list of items to be picked up. I'll print out a flim."  
  
"This buyer cannot get a hyperdrive in-system? I was under the impression that there was a depot of spare parts in that area." Ani felt the Force running through and around the lady.  
  
"It's not illegal."  
  
She wasn't lying. But of course, someone could have lied to her. "Okay, but I say where the ship goes and when and what comes aboard. Agreed?"  
  
"No problem. There's a courier that goes with the cargo. He'll come back with you and you'll get paid. Give us the day to prepare things." Glancing at the Twi'lek she said, "Kilr'aren, can you take Ani to meet Gilad? He should be on emerald level." As he nodded, the Twi'lek twitched one of his brain tails eloquently. Silijar turned back to Ani. "Gilad is the courier that's going with you. Good flying."  
  
Kilr'aren led Ani to a turbolift and it started to rise to Emerald level. On the way, Kilr'aren explained that there were several decks in the huge ship with areas sectioned off for commercial businesses. Each section had casinos, shops, tapcafes, cantinas, hotels and the like catering to different classes of clientele. The most expensive shops were at Diamond level, the least at Brown. In other areas of the decks were maintenance, utility and crew quarters. Below Brown was storage, docking bays, and places to buy ship supplies. Visitors had free reign of the commercial areas of the decks but needed passes to access anything else.  
  
Pilots and other regulars would spend downtime in the casinos or at the sabbacc tables trying to break the bank.  
  
Getting off the turbolift Ani got his first taste of life on the Errant Venture. First off, it was crowded and loud. Some popular tune floated out of one of the open doors. The whole place was a riot of color layered on over the stark Imperial white. Ironically, being 'Emerald level', the only thing that was solid green was the hatch to the turbolift.  
  
Most of the noise came from the sets of casinos and ristorantes directly off the turbolift. Kilr'aren took Ani further back down the hall and around a corner. It got progressively quieter as they walked. Rooms were available for rent in the area they were passing through. Finally, in the last turn of the hall, along a hushed corridor, were small convenience shops selling decently priced clothing, food, flims, holo-paraphernalia; and also a couple small pubs. In one of these was where Gilad hung out.  
  
"This is amazing. And every deck has a setup like this? How long has the Venture been in operation?" Ani asked, curious.  
  
"Booster got it as spoils of war after helping Rogue Squadron defeat Isard at Thyferra." Kilr'aren explained.  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember someone mentioning that. That was only about a year ago, right? How did all this get set up so quickly?"  
  
"Booster is very well connected."  
  
They stepped through the sliding door into a dimly lit lounge. Kilr'aren glanced around, peering into dark corners and along all the couches and tables. Finally he strode over to a man deep in a recent edition of a flimcast. The man was so intent on the news that he didn't even notice their approach until the Twi'lek pulled up a chair for Ani to sit in before sitting down himself.  
  
"Greetings Gilad! Silijar found a ship and pilot for you. Is it alright if you go tomorrow?"  
  
The man called Gilad looked up, annoyed. "You couldn't wait to interrupt me? I was doing something."  
  
"There'll be plenty of time to read on the trip to Corellia. I want you to meet Ani."  
  
Gilad turned his accusing stare to Ani. "You're new."  
  
Okay, let's skip the pleasantries. "Yes, I just arrived. Good to meet you." Ani extended his hand in the ancient greeting.  
  
Gilad ignored it, looking back at Kilr'aren. "You trust this job to a rookie?"  
  
"I was told that there was no smuggling involved." Now it was Ani's turn to stare at Kilr'aren.  
  
"There isn't. It's just that the shipment is to Corellia, and the Dikat is still loyal to the Empire. Any ships suspected of Republic or smuggling affiliations are impounded and its crew detained." Kilr'aren spoke quietly and calmly, as if flying into an Imp stronghold was an everyday occurrence. Well, he worked with smugglers, it probably was.  
  
"There's a lot of fancy flying involved, ships need permits and pilots are questioned by the Imperial patrol. If we were smuggling we could bypass all that."  
  
"I will not have my ship blown apart for 'invasion without a permit'. I put too much work into her."  
  
Gilad turned to look Ani squarely in the face. "You are an unknown quanity. By flying with you I risk my freedom and Booster's property. I don't know how you act under pressure, if you have a record or if you know a hyperdrive from a holoprojector. I don't trust you."  
  
"Is this an urgent delivery?" Ani asked calmly. It would do him no good to get offended by the other man's rudeness. Kilr'aren twitched a lekk. Glancing at Gilad, Ani spoke, the barest hint of amusement on his face. "Then, we have no choice, do we?" 


	11. Corellia

Padmé's Knight dropped out of hyperspace.. Right in the path of an Imperial Star Destroyer.  
  
Dodging port, Ani sent the Knight into a steep climb, carrying his ship out of the plane the ISD occupied. His training had paid off. Though acting quickly, his mind was not panicked or angry.  
  
Strangely the ISD was not firing. No TIE's flew out to challenge him. A data stream ticked past on the conn. Ani switched the feed to audio.  
  
·Unidentified freighter, do not panic. ISD Id Errant Venture captained by Booster Terrik. We are not Imperials. Repeat: cease evasive action. ·  
  
All ISD's were Imperial, weren't they?  
  
·Errant Venture- · Ani sent back, ·Respectfully, I-uh, would like to know what's going on.·  
  
·The Errant Venture is a hyperspace capable trading depot. If your intentions are peaceful, please move to docking bay two. · The voice behind the message was obviously amused.  
  
Ani used his newly honed abilities to search the huge ship. Nothing of the Force indicated anything evil, just the minor duplicity found in any market. Checking his fuel reserves, he decided he couldn't risk another jump. Maybe he could buy fuel.  
  
·Landing in docking bay two. · he sent.  
  
·Approach approved. ·  
  
Ani eased the Knight away from all ion cannons and turbolasers in his path, just to be safe. After making a hesitant landing, he turned off the engines and started making sure all of his supplies were locked and stowed away. That done, he tucked his new lightsaber through the loops on the back of his belt. Riding horizontally, the blade was perfectly hidden by his jacket. Still, Ani knew that to come out of his ship without visible weaponry was sure to cause a close visit by the Venture's security. After rooting around in one of the hidden compartments, Ani strapped a holstered blaster to his side. Ready to go, he opened the hatch and lowered the ramp.  
  
"Hello sir." Greeted the Twi'lek standing at the foot of the settling ramp. "Would you like me to explain the order of things aboard the Errant Venture?"  
  
"All right."  
  
The envoy, as he introduced himself, proceeded to explain the fact that the Venture acted as a brokering agent for various cargo and as a rest stop for passing smugglers. "Most of our guests would prefer to remain discreet, so we only ask for your name and the transponder ID for your ship. That way whenever you return, we'll know you're friendly and invite you right in." The Twi'lek smiled and twitched his long lekk in what Ani knew to be a greeting.  
  
"Call me Ani, and this is Padmé's Knight."  
  
"Welcome Ani. My name is Kilr'aren. How can we help you?"  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if I could buy some fuel. Now that I have a choice, I don't want to risk another jump with the reserves so low. And I was also curious whether I could pay you in services rather than credits, I'm low."  
  
"Sure, we'll go to the front office and see what is available. There's a list of jobs and runs to be done." Kilr'aren said.  
  
"Thank you. At my last job, I ferried things around and fixed any mechanical problems that came up."  
  
"That sounds fine Ani. Welcome aboard. Please, leave your blaster. You won't need it. No one goes armed here."  
  
"Absolutely no one?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Ani sighed and left his blaster inside the hatch. Before leaving the ramp, he securely locked the door with a special lock only accessible by Jedi.  
  
The docking bay was not at all how he had imagined the inside of a Star destroyer to look. Ships of all origins, shapes, sizes and colors were neatly arranged in rows. Other than that there was no precise military decorum. The place was a riot of shouting running, laughing and all sorts of commotion. Sentients from all corners of the galaxy were loading, unloading and just having a good time.  
  
Kilr'aren directed him to the converted control deck they called an office. The transparasteel windows provided an excellent view of the ships and personnel below. "Ani, this is Silijar Haln'lya." Kilr'aren said, introducing the female Bothan behind the desk. "Silijar, this is Ani. He came in on the Padmé's Knight." All of them glanced out the window. Scanning the area around the Knight, they saw that the ship was drawing a sizeable crowd.  
  
"What are they doing to my ship?" Ani calmly asked, grateful for the lock.  
  
"They're looking at it." Silijar smiled reassuringly. "Most smuggler ships are, well- a little rough when it comes to their hull plating. Yours fit together very smoothly and looks to be made of quantum armor. Not a lot of laser burns though. Hasn't seen combat. Good hull, but how fast does she go?"  
  
"Eh. She goes pretty good. Got a lot of quirks though. Some systems are high maintenance."  
  
"Well hyperspace can be pretty boring if you don't have anything to do. What can I do for you?"  
  
Kilr'aren spoke up. "Ani needs a job to pay off a cache of fuel we're selling him."  
  
"All right Ani." Silijar started calling up menus on the terminal in front of her. "What can you do?"  
  
"I'm a fair pilot and I'm not too bad at fixing things. I did some repair work at my last job."  
  
"Well, let's see what's available." Looking at all the menus she'd called up, there were only a couple jobs that would match the price of the fuel. "Did you want an assignment to cover just the cost of the fuel or would you be willing to have the sum detracted from what we'd pay you for a larger job?"  
  
"It would depend on the job. There are some things I won't do. As well as some places I won't go."  
  
Such an adamant statement didn't seem to faze the Bothan a bit.  
  
"Most people are like that. We won't ask who you're running from."  
  
"Who said-?"  
  
"No one. Most smugglers are on the run from security on at least one world."  
  
Ani nodded in understanding. This was a smugglers hideout. That's why they'd mistaken him for one.  
  
"Well, there's a run to."  
  
"Excuse me Silijar? I'd rather not smuggle anything, if you don't mind. I want to stay off the radar."  
  
"Well, if you do it right, no one would know anything had happened." She smiled. "No problem, though. Let's see." She scrolled down the list. "There is a legitimate shipment to be delivered to Corellia. No contraband, just parts. We would send a courier that the recipient would recognize; you would just fly them there. Since you would be already be on Corellia, would you mind picking up some errands for us. It would save us time and earn you a bonus."  
  
"Corellia, I can do that. It's about a day in hyperspace. What's the cargo and what's the errand?"  
  
"A hyperdrive regulator with databanks. We have a list of items to be picked up. I'll print out a flim."  
  
"This buyer cannot get a hyperdrive in-system? I was under the impression that there was a depot of spare parts in that area." Ani felt the Force running through and around the lady.  
  
"It's not illegal."  
  
She wasn't lying. But of course, someone could have lied to her. "Okay, but I say where the ship goes and when and what comes aboard. Agreed?"  
  
"No problem. There's a courier that goes with the cargo. He'll come back with you and you'll get paid. Give us the day to prepare things." Glancing at the Twi'lek she said, "Kilr'aren, can you take Ani to meet Gilad? He should be on blue level." As he nodded, the Twi'lek twitched one of his brain tails eloquently. Silijar turned back to Ani. "Gilad is the courier that's going with you. Good flying."  
  
Kilr'aren led Ani to a turbolift and it started to rise to a specific section of Blue level. On the way, Kilr'aren explained that there were three decks in the huge ship with areas sectioned off for commercial businesses. Each section had casinos, shops, tapcafes, cantinas, hotels and the like catering to different classes of clientele. The most expensive shops were at Diamond level, the least at Black. In other areas of the decks were maintenance, utility and crew quarters. Below Black was storage, docking bays, and places to buy ship supplies. Visitors had free reign of the commercial areas of the decks but needed passes to access anything else.  
  
Pilots and other regulars would spend downtime in the casinos or at the sabbacc tables trying to break the bank.  
  
Getting off the turbolift Ani got his first taste of life on the Errant Venture. First off, it was crowded and loud. Some popular tune floated out of one of the open doors. The whole place was a riot of color layered on over the stark Imperial white. Ironically, being 'Blue level', the only thing that was solid blue was the hatch to the turbolift.  
  
Most of the noise came from the sets of casinos and ristorantes directly off the turbolift. Kilr'aren took Ani further back down the hall and around a corner. It got progressively quieter as they walked. Rooms were available for rent in the area they were passing through. Finally, in the last turn of the hall, along a hushed corridor, were small convenience shops selling decently priced clothing, food, flims, holo-paraphernalia; and also a couple small pubs. In one of these was where Gilad hung out.  
  
"This is amazing. And every deck has a setup like this? How long has the Venture been in operation?" Ani asked, curious.  
  
"Booster got it as spoils of war after helping Rogue Squadron defeat Isard at Thyferra." Kilr'aren explained.  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember someone mentioning that. That was only about a year ago, right? How did all this get set up so quickly?"  
  
"Booster is very well connected."  
  
They stepped through the sliding door into a dimly lit lounge. Kilr'aren glanced around, peering into dark corners and along all the couches and tables. Finally he strode over to a man deep in a recent edition of a flimcast. The man was so intent on the news that he didn't even notice their approach until the Twi'lek pulled up a chair for Ani to sit in before sitting down himself.  
  
"Greetings Gilad! Silijar found a ship and pilot for you. Is it alright if you go tomorrow?"  
  
The man called Gilad looked up, annoyed. "You couldn't wait to interrupt me? I was doing something."  
  
"There'll be plenty of time to read on the trip to Corellia. I want you to meet Ani."  
  
Gilad turned his accusing stare to Ani. "You're new."  
  
Okay, let's skip the pleasantries. "Yes, I just arrived. Good to meet you." Ani extended his hand in the ancient greeting.  
  
Gilad ignored it, looking back at Kilr'aren. "You trust this job to a rookie?"  
  
"I was told that there was no smuggling involved." Now it was Ani's turn to stare at Kilr'aren.  
  
"There isn't. It's just that the shipment is to Corellia, and the Dikat is still loyal to the Empire. Any ships suspected of Republic or smuggling affiliations are impounded and its crew detained." Kilr'aren spoke quietly and calmly, as if flying into an Imp stronghold was an everyday occurrence. Well, he worked with smugglers, it probably was.  
  
"There's a lot of fancy flying involved, ships need permits and pilots are questioned by the Imperial patrol. If we were smuggling we could bypass all that."  
  
"I will not have my ship blown apart for 'invasion without a permit'. I put too much work into her."  
  
Gilad turned to look Ani squarely in the face. "You are an unknown quanity. By flying with you I risk my freedom and Booster's property. I don't know how you act under pressure, if you have a record or if you know a hyperdrive from a holoprojector. I don't trust you."  
  
"Is this an urgent delivery?" Ani asked calmly. It would do him no good to get offended by the other man's rudeness. Kilr'aren twitched a lekk. Glancing at Gilad, Ani spoke, the barest hint of amusement on his face. "Then, we have no choice, do we?" 


	12. Losing it

Ani shut the panel with a dull thud. Rubbing the back of his neck, he closed bleary eyes. Thank the Force that was over! Some nerfherder had tried to sabotage one of the sabaac dealer droids and had inadvertently randomized the environmental controls. Less than an hour of tinkering, and the idiot had managed to effectively cripple half the ship. More trouble than a Gungan.  
  
Ani never wanted to see Booster so infuriated again. He almost felt sorry for the drunk that had done it. That is, until he had seen the damage he had been assigned to repair. Six hours! The rewiring had needed six hours of repair! And it would have been longer, if a Force-less maintenance crew had done it.  
  
Stopping in the office, Ani let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't minus four degrees centigrade anymore. "All the temperatures should be back to Corillean averages again."  
  
"Thank goodness! Last night I had to sleep in my ship, my quarters were that cold." Silijar exclaimed.  
  
Ani had to smile, albeit tiredly. "So did I."  
  
"You do that anyway." She said dismissively. 'He looks exhausted' she thought. "I'm off in a few minutes. Do you want to get some lunch? My treat, for making my room livable again."  
  
"Alright. I'll meet you at the mess on Blue level? I want to stop by my ship first. Say, twenty minutes?"  
  
"Sure. Don't forget to tell Booster everything's back to normal. He's greeting a ship that's heading in. If you hurry you can still catch him."  
  
"Okay, thanks!" Ani headed out the door.  
  
Down in the docking bay the hustle and bustle was as hectic as ever. Over it all, Booster's voice rang out loud and clear.  
  
"Ani! Tell me the environmental controls are back to normal!"  
  
"They are sir." Ani walked over to the captain of the Errant Venture.  
  
"Good! I damn near froze last night and when I woke up, it was an oven! I'll pay you big for this, my boy. Wait here while I meet our guests." Booster stepped over to the landing pad where a smuggler's ship had just touched deck. The Wild Karrde.  
  
The ramp extended while the ship finished powering down. A tall, confident looking human strode out. "Hello Booster. How are things?"  
  
"Okay now. Welcome aboard. You shopping or just visiting?"  
  
"Both actually. My crew could use some leave."  
  
"Well Trader's Alley is open. Just don't break any rules while you're here." Booster spoke mainly to the crew that was filing out, but Karrde caught the words anyway.  
  
"What happened?" he said.  
  
"Some cherfer-brain tried to randomize my environmental controls." Booster made a violent motion. "Just got it fixed. Ani here's a wizard with mechanics."  
  
"And also the best pilot to come out of Ord Mantell."  
  
"That's kind of you to say, sir. But, I'm sure the scuttlebutt is exaggerated." Ani was a little surprised the powerful smuggler had bothered to find out about him. It made him nervous to wonder what else the man might have found.  
  
"Don't be modest Ani. We all know you're good." Booster smiled proudly.  
  
"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, sir, I promised to meet Silijar for lunch."  
"You look tired kid. Get some rest. I'll see you later."  
  
Nodding, Ani beat a hasty retreat back to the Knight.  
  
Booster and Karrde watched him go. They then strode quickly to Booster's office. "Why did you tell him you were looking into him?" Booster exclaimed after making sure the door was firmly shut.  
  
"I'm hoping it might scare some information out of him. As it is, I can dig into the rumors out of Ord Mantell more deeply."  
  
"You couldn't find anything? Karrde, when I asked you to check him out, I didn't think it'd be that complicated."  
  
"Surprise, surprise." Karrde grinned at Booster's confusion. Then his voice took on a more serious tone. "It's as if he fell out of a black hole. No family, no home planet, no last name that anyone has heard of, not even a criminal or civil record matching anyone of his description or talents."  
  
"I thought you were good at this. What did you find?"  
  
"He turned up in a tapcafe on Ord Mantell about two years ago and got a job with a small shipping company attached to Ships and Services. A month later he started building that ship he's got parked out there and a year after that, the ship was done and he split for parts unknown. Three months later he turns up here and starts working for you."  
  
"A year? He finished that thing in a year?! Come on!"  
  
"It's true."  
  
"Have your sources gone bad all of a sudden, Karrde? You don't spring up from nowhere at twenty-six! If you could, he'd make a fortune selling the technique. He's too nice, he's too polite, he's too damn good with machines, someone's gotta remember something about him."  
  
"They don't. Jain says he worked for a woman named Saalot. She's away on business. Jorrin, the tapcafe owner, told me how he turned up, and directed me to Ogin, the man who bailed on Saalot providing Ani with the job, then turned up later and "made him clear out". I got the sense the Imps were involved somehow but nothing further. No warrant, nothing."  
  
"Did you find out who Padmé was?"  
  
"No. The most public 'Padmé' I found was a handmaiden for a Queen Amidala. Apparently she was the rep from Naboo who got the old Chancellor thrown out, so that Palpatine could be elected. But that was over twenty years ago. I don't see a connection. There was another one more recently, but she was a mental patient off Malastare. Committed suicide about five years ago. But since we have nothing on him,"  
  
"We can't match him to her. Well, the kid's working out alright here. He's got friends, a job. He's reliable."  
  
"Apparently he was at his last job too. Don't worry, I'll keep looking. He's got me intrigued now. Anyway, what do you think of Mara?"  
  
"Who, the redhead?" Karrde nodded. "She seems competent? Why?"  
  
"Would you trust her?"  
  
"I don't know her too well." Booster gave Karrde a hard look. "You don't either do you?"  
  
"She saved my life, I owed her and she chose a job. She's been working out wonderfully and I've been thinking of promoting her."  
  
"But?"  
  
"I was wondering if you'd recognize her as a member of my company. I'm trying to get my clients and friends familiar with her so that when I do ask her and start showing her the way things work, there'd be less problems."  
  
"Well, why don't we have dinner tonight? Bring her and Aves and whoever else you want. I'll get to know her better."  
  
On blue level was the best tapcaf on the Venture, the Quiet Night. Most of the passengers shunned it because there was no gambling, but they served good, simple food at reasonable prices. The people were friendly and down-to-earth, whereas those on diamond level would have been much more judgmental.  
  
Silijar had introduced Ani to Kian, the proprietor, one night after he had come back from a run. Kian had once been a chef on a Kuat cruise line, but had left after the ship he had been on was attacked by pirates. He figured working on an ISD provided better job security.  
  
When Silijar approached the counter, he immediately plunked down a glass of muja juice. "You and Ani are the only two I know who refuse to drink any alcohol."  
  
She smiled at him, her white fur ruffling. "Like you ever minded. Speaking of Ani, have you seen him yet?"  
  
"No. How is he? He hasn't come here in since last week. Usually, he's here every night." Kian had taken a liking to Ani after he had peaceably settled a potential brawl.  
  
"Really? Except for the randomizer job, he hasn't had anything else to do. I would have thought he'd be here."  
  
"He hasn't. Do you think he's okay?"  
  
"I'm not sure, he seemed pretty tired when he came in today. He'll be here in a minute or two, you can ask him."  
  
The door to the tapcafe slid open and a bunch of crewmen from the Wild Karrde trooped in. Kian moved over to serve them.  
  
"Good day, gentlebeings. What can I get you?"  
  
"Hello, Kian." Aves said. "This is Mara Jade, she's joined the crew since we've been here last." The woman with the red-gold hair beside him smiled warily.  
  
"Pleased to meet you Kian."  
  
"Pleased to meet you too Mara. What can I get you?" As he took their order, Ani walked in the door. His mind was clearly intent on something else as he took a seat at the bar.  
  
"Ani! You're late! Where have you been?" Kian poured Aves and Mara their drinks while waiting for an answer.  
  
"I was rewiring the environmental controls after they went haywire. Thank you." Kian had finished the other orders and had pushed Giinger Ale in to Ani's hands.  
  
"And the rest of the week?"  
  
"I've been keeping busy."  
  
"Busy enough not to eat?" Kian meant well, but he had never quite learned when someone didn't want to talk about something. Silijar decided to take a different approach.  
  
"Ani, you look terrible. That six hour stint must have taken a lot out of ya." It was a joking tone, but apparently the jibe hit too close to home.  
  
"Look! I'm okay! I've just been busy, that's all! If you got interrogated every time you-." In the process of his tirade, Ani had moved his head fully to the right, catching sight of Aves and Mara. "Jade." His voice was somewhere between disbelief and joy. He started talking rapidly, growing louder and more excited. "Jade! I can't believe it's you! How did you survive-?" She turned around and looked at him, a strange look on her face and in her eyes.  
  
Ani looked as if his heart had been torn out. "I-III-I'm sorry." He stammered. "I thought you were someone else, you looked a lot like her. I'm sorry." He stumbled off the stool and to the door, not looking at anyone as he passed. Silijar caught up with him just as he reached the threshold.  
  
"Ani, as your friend, are you okay?" If he had looked at her, maybe he would have felt better. Concern filled the Bothan's face.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He left, heading in the direction of the second docking bay. Knowing that he needed company, even if he didn't want it, Silijar followed him home.  
  
Mara sat frozen. Had he recognized her from one of her roles as the Emperor's Hand? Aves clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Hey! He guessed your name? Have you met Ani before?"  
  
"I don't think so." She said slowly, running the mechanic's face through her memories. Nothing. Could it have been a coincidence? How many red-haired women were called Jade? A name which, although it was her true name, she hadn't even used that much in the past except to Palpatine and his closest minions.  
  
"Well," Kian said, coming over to the pair. "That was Ani. He's usually much better behaved." Mara put up a halfhearted smile at the attempt at levity. "But really, he's been out of it for a while. Please, don't think less of him."  
  
"What's he like when he's not drunk?" Aves asked.  
  
"Oh, he wasn't drunk. Ani doesn't drink, ever. He's been tired lately is all."  
  
Though neither of the men had noticed Mara had been deep in thought. She came out of it and decided to take an interest in the conversation. "Where's he from?"  
  
Ani and Silijar approached the Knight. "Ani, just give me some idea as to how I can help you or what's wrong."  
  
"Silijar, I don't even,-. You couldn't-." Ani sighed, exasperated. "I promised a friend I would do something for them. It's been a year since I turned my-." He snorted sardonically. "A year, listen to me saying a year." Ani knew he had let Yoda and Obi-wan down a long time before that. "I'm not doing anything right, Silijar. Nothing. I can't even go back and tell my last boss how sorry I am I left. I can't even give her a reason I left." They stood at the foot of the ramp of his ship. He slid down to the deck.  
  
"Ani, you need to sleep this off. Give me your keys." Silijar bent down and retrieved the keys from his belt and pocketed them. Her hand brushed a metal rod strapped to the back of his utility belt. "I don't care how good a pilot you are, you're in no shape to fly tonight."  
  
"It won't do you much good. I can-." She pulled him to his feet.  
  
"Come on." The Bothan helped her friend inside his ship. She had never been inside before. It was tastefully done in pale blues and grays, much like the hull. Finding a bunk, Silijar sat Ani down and pulled off his jacket. Reaching down to undo the utility belt her friend always wore, she noticed the strange, slender cylinder again. She had never seen it before. As she reached to pull it off the belt, Ani's iron grip clamped around her wrist. The suddenness of the move startled her.  
  
"No! Don't touch that!" He took the belt out of her hands and sealed it in a compartment beside his head. Once it was there, he seemed more relaxed. "Thank you for getting me back. You're-."  
  
"Ani, what is it?" Silijar was alarmed. There were no weapons allowed at large on the Venture, except those carried by security. Ani acted as if the cylinder were as dangerous as a thermal detonator.  
  
"I made it." Ani was half-asleep now. "Anakin showed me how."  
  
Seeing that her friend would not be good for anymore questions tonight, she left the Padmé's Knight and closed and locked the ramp. She needed to tell somebody. Ani was a good friend, but the safety of the ship concerned everyone. She walked into the office and asked one of the guards, who had often joined Silijar and Ani for drinks or games, to watch over the ship. He found her request a little strange, but they were friends, he decided to play along.  
  
Then she went to see Booster.  
  
On a ship fit for thousands of staff, Booster managed to keep an eye on each one of them. He knew a bit of their history, their interests and habits, and most of all; once he really knew them he knew when something was wrong. Silijar never came to his office. Certainly not in the state of near panic he saw her in now. In fact, he couldn't remember when he had seen her so much as perturbed.  
  
She had rushed in; ignoring the fact that Karrde was sitting there and blurted out, "Booster, sir. It's important."  
  
Booster glanced over at Karrde. "What's wrong?" He asked, honestly concerned.  
  
"Please sir, he's my friend." At a second glance, the smuggler chief deftly excused himself. Booster motioned for her to sit down.  
  
"It's Ani." She was gripping a set of ignition keys in her furry grip. "We've noticed that he's been acting strange lately, um, he's been really tired and hasn't followed his normal schedule for I guess a week, maybe more. We, Kian and me, asked him, right, cause we're his friends and we were worried." Booster nodded and was giving her his full attention. "He flipped out on us. He doesn't do that, he's calm. Ani's even settled some bar disputes that could've been bloody." Booster knew that. And usually, the suggestions Ani gave on how to solve them were fair and just. Silijar continued. "So, he leaves the café and I walk him back, because, well, if I didn't know he never drinks, I'd think he was-."  
  
"Spiced?" Booster finished. The Bothan nodded.  
  
"I got him back to the Knight and he's mumbling about how he let his friends down or something and I listened and did what you do for any intoxicated human before you put him to bed. Took off his coat and utility belt.  
  
"There was this thin cylindrical rod a couple of hand spans long, looped through the belt and when I tried to remove it, he freaked! Like it was dangerous or something."  
  
"Ani?" Booster's faced had been growing increasingly concerned, but at this new twist in Ani's behavior, he was downright alarmed.  
  
"He grabbed the thing, sealed it in a compartment and went to sleep. I locked him in and put Tanh outside to make sure he's okay."  
  
"Silijar, did he say anything about the device?"  
  
"He said that someone named Anakin helped him make it."  
  
"Does that mean anything to you?"  
  
"No. Sir," Silijar was considerably calmer now, after having told someone. "I'm worried, but I don't think he's a danger. He's been all over this ship making repairs and installations. He's had a lot of time to do something bad if he were going to do it. I just needed to tell someone."  
  
"Thank you for mentioning that. It's a good point that we need to keep in mind. What all do you know about him? History-wise, I mean?"  
  
"Not all that much."  
  
"Can you do me a favor or two?" Silijar nodded. "First, can you get me a list of all the jobs Ani has done for us since he showed up? And second, can you go around and ask others if they've noticed any other strange behavior. It would help if you were. discreet."  
  
"Sure, whatever I can do to help him. Later, would it be alright if I visited him to see how he's doing?"  
  
Booster came around from the desk and walked her to the door. "I wish you would. Thanks Silijar, you were right, I needed to know this." Looking relieved, Silijar left her boss' office.  
  
Karrde came back in. "How much of that did you hear?" Booster asked, going back to his chair.  
  
"Not all that much actually. Aves got in touch with me, he seemed to want to talk."  
  
"What about?" Booster leaned back in his chair shuffling some papers around. His mind somewhere other than his office.  
  
"Guess."  
  
Booster looked up quickly, the frown on his face getting deeper. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know yet, we'll hear more at dinner."  
  
"Karrde, I don't know how I'm gonna help this guy. I don't want to just cut him loose. He's been so helpful around the ship."  
  
"Maybe you should talk to him."  
  
"He's asleep in his ship."  
  
"It's after two in the afternoon."  
  
"Apparently, he's been out of it lately."  
  
"Lately?"  
  
His monitor chimed on receiving a file. It was a list of all the jobs Ani had done for him. Booster reached over and commed his chief engineer.  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Arrun, I need you to run a complete sweep on a couple of systems for me."  
  
"Sure boss, what are you looking for?"  
  
"Anything out of the ordinary."  
  
Silijar walked across the hangar. It was well into the dinner hour. There had been a lot of people to talk to and she still wasn't done. All anyone had noticed was that Ani had seemed reserved, distracted.  
  
She made her way towards the Knight, noticing that the guard had been changed. "Hey, Forbes. Did he try to come out yet?"  
  
"I heaar nothing, Maa'aam. The dralorian's voice sounded bored. "You know things aare wrong with Aani?"  
  
"I'm just worried, Forbes."  
  
"Be eaasy."  
  
"I will."  
  
Carefully Silijar opened the hatch, not wanting to disturb her friend. Creeping into the main cabin, she noticed a tiny galley, just a preservation unit and a hot box really, with two bunks built into the walls. Across from this was a holoprojector that served double duty as a cluttered table, and a door leading to a 'fresher. The place was riddled with drawers and compartments. Behind all this was two spacious cargo areas, almost empty now but still up for a lengthy trip and packed with enough spare parts to cobble together a few of the major components of the ship. Up front was the cockpit and next to that entrance, a wider bunk where Ani was now collapsed.  
  
Silijar took a seat at the holoprojector, watching the mechanic. Whatever it was that he was dreaming, she didn't envy him. "I'd bet he hasn't stopped turning since I left him here." She thought.  
  
She sat on one of the two chairs at the projector. Laying the keys to the ship down on the glassine surface, she noticed the odd assortment of half finished projects, data chips, tools and knickknacks that people tend to accumulate. Her fur brushed up against an ivory fang threaded through, a brittle scale hanging on either side of it. Bothan's have a keen sense of smell and Silijar was no different. The scent that still clung to the bone spoke of violent, cold predators. It wasn't like Ani to take trophies, so what meaning did this have for him? Sitting here in his home, Silijar was realizing how little she knew of her friend. Evidence she was finding lay counter to the public face that this man had crafted for himself.  
  
The salty tang of sweat was heavy on the air. The Bothan's nose flared as she looked over at Ani. His mouth was open in a silent scream. There was nothing she could do as she watched him fight to consciousness from whatever nightmare he was living. And then, all of a sudden, he was awake, gasping for breath as his brain realized the difference between realities.  
  
Silijar stayed silent. He didn't need her quite yet.  
  
He noticed her anyway. "Hi." He whispered. He looked as though nothing would have pleased him more than to collapse back on the pillows. Nevertheless, he pulled on a long robe close to hand. The brown garment went down to his ankles, his hands lost in the sleeves. Walking into the galley, Ani pulled out a container of water and brought it over to the projector. He paused, as if considering where to sit.  
  
Ani settled for the chair as he pulled it across from his friend. "What do you want to know?"  
"Are you alright?" Silijar's voice was truly concerned.  
  
"No." Blunt was also a trait, she had never noticed about him. Reticence yes, blunt, no.  
  
The dispatcher was at a loss for words. Where to start?  
  
"Um-." Siezing an object from the table, she held it up. "What's this?" It was a small cylinder roughly the length of his palm and had a diameter no bigger than the inside barrel of a blaster. She figured an easy question would help her break the ice.  
  
"That is a tool idea I am working on."  
  
"What's it for?"  
  
"Well, it can be used for cutting metal without taking it to a lase. Here," Ani took the cylinder out of her grasp, laying it on the bench. Grabbing a small leather pouch, he shook out a few colored crystals.  
  
Surprised, Silijar looked up from his hands. "Ani, since when did you start carrying around a fortune in jewels?"  
  
"Hang on." Ani had scooped the gems down just inside the lip of the handle, maneuvering them into place. "Okay, what did you want to ask me?" He sat there, holding the thing in his hand.  
  
Since whatever he had been doing with it seemed to be done, Silijar decided to skip straight to the hard questions. "What's going on with you? All of a sudden, you're acting like." She paused. He was just sitting there, almost as if he was concentrating very hard on something.  
  
"Like I'm drunk?" He commented absently.  
  
"Yeah, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm trying to make this work. Um-." He paused for a minute. "As you realized, I have bouts of bad dreams from time to time. Old dæmons, you know? They get a little distracting."  
  
"They don't let you get much sleep, either. What kind of dæmons?"  
  
"Ah." Ani's breath caught in his throat in a little noise of triumph. "Here, look."  
  
Motioning to the table he depressed something on the cylinder that sent a thin beam of gold light shooting up. It was only about the size of a half-stylus.  
  
Ani picked up a little piece of durasteel that was lying there. Touching the light to the piece, the beam cut through, quickly and silently, leaving a perfect slice behind.  
  
"What do you think?" He was grinning proudly, for an instant back to his usual self.  
  
"How does it work? Sort of like a monomolecular device?"  
  
"It's not good for really close work like that, but yeah. And you can see it, most of those blades are near impossible to see."  
  
"Well, it's a neat little toy."  
  
"Yeah, I don't think it'll be easy to reproduce, so.." Ani let his voice trail off. He had finally noticed that she had an incredulous look on her face, which really was a sight on her furry Bothan features. "What?"  
  
"Ani! You've been acting crazy! And now, sitting in your ship, which you've practically never let anyone in by the way, you're fine! Back to your old self. You never flipped out on us last night, you're not carrying suspect bits of machinery, you're not seeing people you know in strangers! What is going on?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Well, you're gonna have to! People are worried."  
  
"About what?" Ani seemed genuinely confused.  
  
"You! Grief Ani. Who's Jade? Who's Anakin? You never talk about your friends or family. Regardless of history, family is still important."  
  
A guarded look fell over his face. He was seriously considering his answer. "Jade is the wife of my friend. I have not seen her in many years."  
  
"Who is your friend?"  
  
"Look Silijar, I won't go through questions three. Everyone has things they'd like to forget. You were never this interested before and I won't do it now."  
  
Silijar paused for a moment and the two sat there thinking. "Last night, you mentioned your old boss. Maybe it'd be nice to go see how they were doing. You know, tie up some lose ends."  
  
Ani stared at her. The last time he had 'tied up lose ends' he'd ended up slaughtering the entire Jedi Order. No, Anakin, Anakin had killed- . Why was this so hard for him? He'd thought he'd gotten through this. "Yeah." He paused. "You said 'suspect bits of machinery', you don't mean this thing." Ani's tone didn't question even as he indicated the small trinket in his hand.  
  
"That large cylinder you have. What is it?"  
  
"How did you see that?"  
  
"You don't remember strong-arming it away from me this afternoon?"  
  
A look of absolute horror came over his features. Silijar had never seen him so tense. "What did I do this afternoon?" his voice was dead, monotone.  
  
"You showed up for lunch at Kian's bone tired and after you spaced out on one of his patrons I brought you back here. You were mumbling stuff about broken promises."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"I got you inside and tried to take off your utility belt and noticed that cylinder on it. You took it away and locked it up." Silijar was getting worried, he should know this already.  
  
Getting up, Ani moved over to his bunk and seemed to palm open the compartment, despite the lack of a palm plate. When he saw that the belt was safe and intact, he visibly relaxed. Turning he asked, "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"I don't remember what happened after I came back here after talking to Booster. I thought I had just fallen asleep."  
  
"You didn't."  
  
"Was I sleepwalking? You said I was tired."  
  
"I have no idea. Have you ever done this before?" she said.  
  
"Sleepwalking? No. But I have at times, acted out of character. And it can be difficult to sort out the two."  
  
"What do you mean like, split personalities or something?" It was an affliction not unheard of among the multitude of beings spread across the galaxy. In humans, it meant madness. Mad men died quickly in space.  
  
"No, I can remember everything I did then. That's the problem."  
  
Silijar watched as he tried to reason this out. This was obviously a wrinkle to some larger problem she didn't understand. She really didn't know how to help. "In any case, you need sleep." She said in a businesslike tone. "I'll stay and watch over you."  
  
There had been a time back when Silijar was younger when she had been alone and cut off from her family. There had been an old Thrawakkash who had seen her through the worst of her loneliness; keeping watch over her in the night. No matter what species a sentient was, trusting someone enough to watch over you in times of trouble remains a true test of friendship.  
  
Ani knew it too. He considered her offer a moment. "Silijar," He said carefully. "If I am, acting out of character, I'm not a safe person to be around."  
  
"I am your friend, you won't hurt me."  
  
She sounded so convincing. But there was another voice that told him the same thing. "It's okay Ani, we'll get through this, together. I love you. I trust you." Padmé's voice rang in his ears. He had loved her far more than he cared for Silijar. And look what he had done to her.  
  
"I need you to promise me something."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Let me fall asleep then leave, quickly. When you go, take the keys with you. And this," Ani handed a command card to her. "This card controls the firing mechanisms for this ship. None of the weapons systems can be fired without it." In theory without the Force, yes, this was true, but with the Force, Ani felt that the card's absence would just be a mere formality.  
  
"Now listen to this," Ani said, making sure she listened instead of wondering at the instructions he was giving her. "When you leave, lock the door. Come back in three or four days, I should be okay by then. If I'm not, I can still fly this thing out of here."  
  
Now it was Silijar's turn to look incredulous. Three to four days! "You're talking like you've gone space-mad." She said, taking the keys and card.  
  
"I'll be okay, I just-. If I am reverting, I cannot be around people. Will you do this for me?"  
  
"Yeah." Her voice sounded dazed. "Sleep sweet."  
  
"Silijar?" Ani said as he climbed back onto his bunk.  
  
"Yes Ani."  
  
"Thank you for doing this for me."  
  
"What are friends for?" Silijar closed down the lights and headed for the ramp.  
  
"Is Aani aalright?" Forbes asked. Silijar firmly locked the ramp shut.  
  
"I don't know Forbes. Don't let anyone out, OK? And don't go in. Same as before."  
  
"I call Maa'aam if I heaar. Be eaasy."  
  
Silijar nodded politely. But as she walked away she couldn't help thinking that neither she nor Ani would 'be easy' for a while. 


	13. Discourse, Decisions and Destinations

Smuggler's get togethers were always highly amusing and highly unpredictable. Booster wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  
  
He and Karrde both mainly listened while the other guests talked. But even they would break in with relevant stories and anecdotes during the conversation. Mara Jade was the only one noticeably absent in these proceedings. She followed every word, giving Booster the impression that she was analyzing and filing every scrap, but didn't jump in with any tales of her own.  
  
"So, I had lost my weapon, right and I'm completely surrounded." The memory got to be too much and Aves doubled over before he could continue. "And then this nerf bone from someone's dinner falls out of the sky, hitting Drouba right on the head." The whole table was laughing now. "He collapses and the rest of them are shooting up at the balcony it came from! Patrons were screaming and more things are falling which led to more shooting. In all the confusion, I got away!"  
  
After a few moments, the laughter had died down. Booster decided that, as host, he should try to get everyone involved in the conversation. "Mara, did you meet anyone like that on Varonat?"  
  
She looked faintly surprised that he would send such an obvious probe her way. "There was a man Karrde got mixed up with."  
  
"I don't think I heard that one."  
  
Mara shot a quick look at Karrde, who nodded before she started telling it.  
  
"When Karrde found that he'd be stuck planetside for a few days, he decided to go on safari. He stumbled on a fairly lucrative plot that Gamgalon was desperate to conceal. Knowing Gamgalon, I figured he would not be happy with Karrde being there and-."[i]  
  
"You don't go in much for detail, do you?" Arrun, who was sitting down the table said.  
  
She smiled. "Nope, sorry."  
  
"Well, tell them what happened this afternoon." Karrde requested. "I'm sure Booster would love to hear it."  
  
"Aves is obviously a better storyteller than I am." Mara deftly passed the telling to him.  
  
Aves proceeded to tell of the happenings at the Quiet Night. Booster seemed to contemplate it all for a minute.  
  
"Mara, you said you had never seen him before?" Booster said, finally.  
  
"No. He seemed to get me mixed up with someone else."  
  
"Do you know who?" All Mara did was shake her head.  
  
The dinner continued quite jovially after that little hiccup. Arrun decided that it was his turn to share adventures he'd had at a previous job. Someone else spun off on a conversational tangent and later a litany of abuse suffered at the hands of the Imperials was the topic of dessert.  
  
Everyone had had a good time. To those with alert and only slightly inebriated ears, much information had been gleaned.  
  
In Booster's eyes, however, what he'd learned was not enough.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Booster and Karrde were relaxing in the room after the rest of Booster's guests had left.  
  
"I think someone taught your Mara how to keep her mouth shut."  
  
"You noticed that?" Karrde said.  
  
"I get the feeling she could tell a great story if she wanted, complete with detail and background to support it. I think she could tell it even if it were not strictly true. I felt that there was something about Ani recognizing her that had her unsettled. At the same time, you don't need to worry about her betraying you."  
  
"Really, how so?"  
  
"Well, of course, she waited for your ok to share with us, but that's an old tactic. However, she could have told what the 'fairly lucrative plot' was. The one you 'stumbled upon' that none of us had ever heard of. She didn't even confirm if Gamgalon was from Varonat. So, whatever plan you found could be exploited at a later date."  
  
"Point. Although, the guesswork was laid."  
  
"But what are a ship's navigator, a trader, an engineer, a code slicer and assorted lieutenants going to do with it? With all the stories we've heard and how collectively drunk most of them were, the chances of one of them remembering are-."  
  
"High enough. And I have no doubt that you will remember."  
  
"True."  
  
"Sorry that didn't help you with the whole Ani problem."  
  
"Can you run the name Jade against anything remotely connected with him?"  
  
"Doesn't match."  
  
Booster was surprised. "You checked already? No, you couldn't have. You were already running a check on Mara weren't you?  
  
"Yes. And neither she nor anyone else of that name is connected to any of the runs he'd made under Saalot or any reports of acquaintances he'd made. This is really intriguing; I haven't had such a challenge for a long time."  
  
"Well, if you hear anything, I'd like to know. Please don't blackmail him or something."  
  
"I rarely work that way."  
  
"Yeah well, temptation knocks. If I don't see you in the morning, have a good trip."  
  
A few days later, Silijar went back inside the Padmé's Knight. Ani was there waiting for her. He seemed fine.  
  
"Hi. How are you?" He said, happy to see her.  
  
"I'm more worried about you at the moment."  
  
"I decided to take your advice. I'm gonna go tie off loose ends."  
  
"How long are you going to be gone?"  
  
"Maybe three, four weeks. I thought I'd fly around for a while, see some things."  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine." Ani said it so well and so convincingly, he could only sense the slightest doubt coming from Silijar.  
  
"You're coming back right?"  
  
"Sure, no problem."  
  
She gave him a long, questioning, skeptical look.  
  
"Seriously, this is too good a job to just leave for no good reason."  
  
She knew that. "Ok. Even if you do leave, you can always come back. Tell Booster before you go, he'll be less annoyed that way."  
  
"That's something I want to avoid. How did that guy make out?"  
  
"Mr. Enviro-randomizer? Yeah, not only did he pay double your fees and expenses, but Booster got a hefty inconvenience charge out of him."  
  
"Oooh. That had to hurt."  
  
"Hey, he was lucky. You saw how mad Booster was." Silijar smiled. "You do seem better."  
  
Ani sensed the relief roll off of her in a wave and he wished he was as sure. "I'll say goodbye before I leave. Do you mind rounding up some galley supplies for me? I got everything else I'll need and I want to leave right after seeing Booster."  
  
"Sure. I think he's in a meeting right now. Come on, I'll check which level." Silijar led Ani to her office. Upon taking her seat, she was able to find that Booster was meeting a client in one of the the tapcafés on Diamond level. "He's on Diamond at the moment. A shipping concern is arranging for storage room and a space to sell their goods in. Just hang around until he's done. He'll probably come over to you."  
  
"Thanks. There hasn't been anything major you guys needed me to repair has there?"  
  
"We've been fine. Don't worry. Get going." Silijar gave him a reassuring smile before turning to help the new guy Kilr'aren was escorting in.  
  
Ani didn't often go up to Diamond level. He found its usual patrons to be arrogant and snobby. And even if they weren't, there was little there he could afford.  
  
He found Booster on the main casino floor of one of the most popular tapcafés Diamond level had to offer; which, loosely translated from the original Sullustian, was called Nil Odds; the irony of which was not lost on most of the people who lost their credits on the games there.  
  
Booster was seated at one of the small tables scattered around the perimeter between the bar and the pit that served as a gambling floor, talking with a person he assumed was a client. Ani made sure Booster saw him before heading over to the bar and ordering a giinger ale.  
  
"Ani, how's it going! I come here all the time, but I haven't run into you." Curious, Ani turned and saw Jain seated at a table not too far from the edge of the pit.  
  
Smiling at seeing an old acquaintance, Ani got up and joined him. Jain shook his hand vigorously. "Good to see you!" Ani said. "How's it going back on Ord Mantell?"  
  
"Pretty good, you know, the Republic moved in and kicked the Imps out; the Mon Calamari are already making life difficult, but pretty much same old thing."  
  
Ani's smile changed to a mock-serious grin. "You know the Mon Calamari have always been friendly to the Ships and Services guild, especially with the shipping shortages on."  
  
"Yeah, yeah! I hear ya." Jain brushed him off with a smile of his own. "Listen, when are you coming back? Ogin got himself picked up and it was all Saalot could do to get the ship out of impound. 'Sides, I like knowing who to bet on at the trade races."  
  
"Actually I was thinking about stopping by the Ships and Services conference on Sullust this year. I registered independently a few months back. I told Saalot I'd see her at one."  
  
"Well, that sounds good. She'd be happy to see ya. So, how've you been?"  
  
"Good. Booster's let me repair things around here a couple of times, made enough to get by."  
  
"Ah, so he's making money off you. That sounds like Booster. With that retrofit you did on your ship, I wouldn't be surprised if he asked you to open up a repair shop in one of his spare hangars."  
  
"Well! That's an idea! How about it Ani?" Booster had come up behind them while they were talking.  
  
"You know, I wouldn't mind doing that for a bit. But not now." Ani turned to Booster with a more serious expression on his face. "I was hoping I could talk to you, sir."  
  
"Well, it's been nice talking to ya Ani. I'll see you around. Goodday, Sir." With a nod to Booster, Jain took his drink and headed down to the Sabbacc tables.  
  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Booster sat down in Jain's seat and the waiter brought him a Corellian brandy.  
  
"Well, I was wondering if I could head out for a while. There's a lot of loose ends I really should tie off."  
  
"The Ships and Services conference isn't till next next month." Booster was on a fishing expedition.  
  
"It's not just Saalot, I have other things that I've been putting off. I just didn't want to look at them, you know?"  
  
"I think I can understand that. Well, when were you thinking of leaving?"  
  
"Today, actually. For Simarill. It's this, small rock out on the fringes."  
  
"I've never heard of it." Booster thought for a minute. "Well, I hate to lose you even for a little while. You know you're always welcome on the Venture, right? That idea your friend had was a good one, I wouldn't mind setting up something similar to that."  
  
"That would be fun, sir. I should be back after the conference."  
  
"Take your time; see your family, friends, have fun, whatever you have to do. There's nothing that said you had to stay this whole time, everyone generally comes and goes here."  
  
"Thank you, sir." With a grateful smile, Ani drained his glass and left for the Knight.  
  
Booster waited until Ani had left before placing a call to his chief of communications. "Veracint, hi. Arrange a holonet call to Karrde please."  
  
"Will later this afternoon be all right?"  
  
"Sure. Thanks."  
  
Booster stayed in the Nil Odds, glad handing those sentiments who were winning large amounts of money and handling minor disputes as they arose.  
  
Later, in his office, the receiver chimed an incoming call. It was Karrde.  
  
"Listen, have you ever heard of a planet or an asteroid base named Simarill?"  
  
"Not offhand, why?"  
  
"Ani's on his way there to tie off loose ends."  
  
"You want me to follow him?" Karrde asked, surprised.  
  
"No. Just find out about him."  
  
"You do know that I will charge you for this information."  
  
"Only if you find anything. I'm not sure you will at this point."  
  
----------------------- [i] For official story, see Star Wars Tales from the Empire story First Contact by Timothy Zahn. 


	14. Not the Errant Venture

Padmé's Knight dropped out of hyperspace.. Right in the path of an Imperial Star Destroyer.  
  
'That's funny,' Ani thought. 'The Errant Venture wasn't scheduled to be here.' A squadron of TIE fighters emptied the holds of the ISD before him. A sure sign of the Empire. 'Okay, not the Venture.' And he rolled the Knight in defensive maneuvers. As his fingers and senses flew over the helm controls, he had the ship's computer calculate a series of hyperspace jumps from several lanes in the area. That way, once he had a clear path, he'd be able to beat a hasty retreat.  
  
TIEs swarmed the Knight, causing him to spin and dive on many different planes to avoid missiles, lasers and even other ships as they tried to blow him out of space. The dogfight soon went from a neatly organized formation against a lone ship to chaos as the solitary vessel weaved through the meticulous arrangement, confusing pilots and sensors alike.  
  
Ani was taking care not to annihilate any of his enemies. Sometimes a stream from his lasers would clip the solar panels of a TIE, or an ion blast would freeze a hostile into helplessness, but none of his opponents actually died. Killing was a tactic appropriate to dark Jedi, and Ani didn't want to take any risks.  
  
Besides, Ani hadn't had a chance to practice some of his favorite maneuvers in a long time. And even Jedi had to keep skills in practice.  
  
Unfortunately, this display of superior flying caught the attention of the commander of the Star Destroyer. In a number of subtle ways, the tactics of the swarm changed and more ion weapons were being fired now, as they deftly herded the freighter towards their mother ship. The heavy weaponry aboard all classes of Star Destroyer were enough to turn a world to slag; Ani didn't want to get anywhere near it.  
  
If Ani had been any other person, the ion web would have creased his ship, killing its power, leaving him and the Knight helpless. But, he was Jedi, able to anticipate minute changes in the Force; and against impossible odds, he was winning.  
  
Adding a Force-enhanced burst of power to his thrusters, Ani risked dancing just inside the destroyer's range to outrun the main force of TIEs to the other side and a clear hyperspace jump. As good as his ship was, and as fast and coordinated as the droid-programming that ran his customized navicomputer was, despite the advance calculations, it still took a minute for the systems to align. Thinking he was safe, Ani turned his attention away from the Imperial forces.  
  
BAM! The collision rocked the Knight out of its selected path. 'What?' Ani, confused now, brought his mind back to his present predicament. A TIE-like vessel had hit him and was now flying around for another pass. 'But TIEs should not be able to survive high-speed collisions! They don't have shields.' The standard design didn't have tractor beams either, but that wasn't stopping the pair of strange TIEs from locking on to his freighter and dragging him inexorably towards the Star Destroyer. Where in the name of the Force had they come from?!  
  
?Unidentified freighter, you are in violation of Imperial space and are being detained for questioning. Any further attempts to escape will be considered a criminal act.? the text feed ticked by on his screen. Ani switched it over to audio.  
  
?Imperial vessels, ? he addressed back to his captors. ?Respectfully, I have done nothing wrong-.? A new voice cut him off.  
  
?I am the commander of the Star Destroyer Chimaera. I would request your presence aboard my ship to discuss your, ? There was a pause. ?singular evasion strategies.? The note of finality left no room for argument. The comm turned off.  
  
'He's "requesting my presence"? This was new. As far as he knows, I'm a smuggler. Why isn't he shooting me?' Ani had devoted time to studying typical tactics of the Imps, especially since his alter ego had shaped most of them. He had also listened to tales of older spacers' encounters with the Empire. From what he knew, this had never happened before.  
  
The two unique TIEs guided both the Knight and their vessels into the docking bay. Settling down in an escort formation, Ani made sure he exited the Knight first. This way he could lock it with the hidden lever in the door's mechanism that only Force adepts could reach without dismantling the door. This meant the ship stayed his and couldn't be entered by his enemies.  
  
The two escort pilots and a squad of stormtroopers marched over to where he was waiting in the shadow of Padmé's Knight. "It is required that we confiscate all weapons you may be carrying, pilot." They did a quick scan and search. His blaster was removed from its holster. His lightsaber, which was, as always, attached to the back of his belt, was also found and removed. None of these Imps turned it on. Satisfied that Ani was unarmed, the escort pilot who had first run into him spoke up.  
  
"You will come with us please." The eight of them waited until Ani had taken two paces down their ranks before they started moving.  
  
They led Ani to a small lounge off the main hangar. A window afforded him a full view of the Knight. Two men were seated at a utilitarian conference table. The pilot placed Ani's blaster and saber in front of the man seated at the head of the room. The pilots and two of the troopers took stations around the room, their eyes missing nothing.  
  
There was a moment of dead silence while Ani stood patiently, as Jedi were apt to do. Taking in the details of his situation, Ani noticed that the man everyone seemed to defer to was not human; an oddity amongst the Empire. This man's skin was tinted blue, with eyes that glowed solid red. The eyes unnerved Ani a little, but he didn't show it. Maul had always appeared to him with a similar visage. The worst thing about the man though, was not his alien-ness, but his uniform. The crisp white of an Imperial Grand Admiral was intimidating for the fact that Palpatine had hand picked these men to be the leaders of his military. They were all loyal, and all of the same brilliant militant mind.  
  
"Where did you learn to fly that way?" The precise voice was clearly the voice of a commander.  
  
"I have always been able to fly well. How may I help you, Grand Admiral?"  
  
"You know my rank." It was a statement, not a question. A blue- black eyebrow raised in slight surprise. Nothing else about the man betrayed his feelings. Ani could have kicked himself. "What else do you know?"  
  
What a question. Ani debated for a moment whether or not to divulge any more information. Showing that he had too much knowledge could be very costly. However, something in the Force told him to trust this man; Imperial or not. "I know that Palpatine must have hand-picked you for this job because of your skills as a leader in battle. And I know that because you earned such distinction, you are a dangerous man." Ani spoke with a serene calm, as if knowing so much about the Imperial hierarchy was common.  
  
The Admiral seemed to ignore his answer. "You took care to make sure none of my pilots were killed. Why?"  
  
"It is not good to earn Imperial enmity."  
  
"Most smugglers don't care about that."  
  
Ani didn't need to reply, 'I'm not most smugglers' it was already implicit with what the Admiral was saying. The blue man continued. "Who are you?"  
  
Now, usually, Ani would not have been quite so truthful with the Imps. But again, the Force was telling him that this was the right decision. And he was calm; the Dark Side of the Force was not a factor at the moment. Still, he didn't have to tell the Admiral everything. "My name is Ani. I have worked for Ships and Services. And I'm currently on a private trip."  
  
"Where are you headed?" The man sitting uneasily beside the Grand Admiral spoke. He wore a captain's uniform.  
  
"Simarill, sir." Ani was putting a lot of faith in the Force to guide him properly.  
  
"That's in Wild Space." The captain sounded surprised. Ani nodded. "What is your business there?"  
  
"I am visiting friends."  
  
"You are very laconic for a man in your position. Do my men need to persuade you to be more forthcoming with information?" The Admiral did not raise his voice. A normal commander would have.  
  
But that didn't mean he would not put Ani through a sifter interrogation. A procedure better avoided. "With all due respect, sir, I have not hurt your pilots. I have not broken any laws of Imperial Space, and I have answered your questions as well as I could. How may I help you?"  
  
The Force rippled with the disbelief of the men stationed along the walls. The Captain glanced surreptitiously towards his commanding officer. Ani was on thin ice.  
  
"I find you an interesting puzzle. You have no last name that you will divulge, no records in the Imperial database, a piloting talent to rival Baron Fel's and working knowledge of the command hierarchy of the Imperial Navy. And then, there is the little matter of your choice of weaponry. You do not match Luke Skywalker's description. He does not have your stature." A blue hand indicated Ani's lightsaber. "One might be led to believe that you were also hand-picked by our late Emperor. Dark Jedi, perhaps?"  
  
"I am not a dark Jedi, sir." If it hadn't been for the Force telling him to stay, Ani would have called his weapons to his hands, busted through the door to the hangar and lifted ship as fast as he could.  
  
"Then what are you?"  
  
"I am a pilot. Please, tell me what I can do for you, so I can leave." There was a long pause.  
  
"Have a seat." Ani had been left standing all this time, and the command left him a little uneasy. But the Force was still encouraging him to go along with this sentient. Gingerly, he sat down.  
  
Once he had done so, the Admiral addressed his forces. "Leave us. Captain, you have the bridge." The squad, pilots and Captain all froze for a moment. Their loyalty to their commander was absolute and they did not want to put him at risk. The only way Ani knew this, was through the Force. Their obedience was just as unquestioning and the group left.  
  
All the while keeping his eyes on the Grand Admiral, Ani reached out through the Force, keeping tabs on the troops that had now stationed themselves outside the door. Bringing his attention back inside the room, Ani noticed that they weren't totally alone. A gray skinned alien waited quietly in the shadows. A Noghri bodyguard. No wonder the Admiral was confident. The Noghri were a private people; if you heard about them at all you heard first about their skill with knives and tracking. Even for Jedi, an engagement with a Noghri would be a delicate operation.  
  
"You are wondering why I did not simply shoot you out of the sky once you had entered the range of the Chimaera's turbolasers." Ani admitted that this was indeed foremost in his mind. "You employed a tactic in your evasion of my squadrons unique to Lord Vader. The maneuver is so difficult, that when Baron Fel, the Empire's second best pilot attempted it, he nearly died. You execute it flawlessly and in conjunction with a series of equally complex tricks also favored by Vader. Add this to the information I already know about you-." The Grand Admiral let his voice trail off.  
  
"So, I'm a good pilot. You know that. Why bring me aboard?"  
  
"The Empire needs good pilots."  
  
"I'm not flying for the Empire." Ani's response was so quick and so vehement even Ani was surprised.  
  
"What is your grievance?" The Grand Admiral's question was sincere.  
  
"Grievance?"  
  
"All of you pirates and rebels seem to have some personal injustice to avenge against Palpatine's Order. What did the Empire do to you?" His voice could have been equally sarcastic or serious.  
  
"If so many feel so wronged, what does that tell you?" Ani could feel the anger in the man rising at the cheek. "In answer to your question; it gave me life. May I leave now?" The Grand Admiral didn't answer or show his rage. Instead, he merely tilted his head to one side, considering him.  
  
"I never said I wanted you to serve the Empire. Congratulations on your skills as a pilot. You may leave the Chimaera now." There was an edge to his tone that was clearly a dismissal.  
  
But Ani still had a few questions. "What model were those TIEs that brought me in?" Ani had risen and was walking towards the Admiral. Through the Force, he felt the Noghri tense to spring. The Grand Admiral remained still, watching him.  
  
"You expect me to divulge Imperial secrets?" The alien voice was calm. Ani had approached the end of the table and was reaching for his blaster and lightsaber.  
  
Once he had them in hand, he could easily kill the Imperial Admiral. "No." Ani's voice was just as calm, despite the knife sliding silently from the bodyguard's sheath. "Thank you for your hospitality." Ani turned and strode from the conference room, with his weapons, heading for Padmé's Knight. Two minutes later, the ship rose in a successful completion of the startup sequence and sailed through the magcon field.  
  
As the freighter left his docking bay, Grand Admiral Thrawn casually flicked the internal ship's com. "Captain, is the tracking device in place?"  
  
"We have it on the ship, Admiral, but we had to weld it to the topside of the hull. We were unable to get inside. It is unlikely that he will see it. May I have a moment of your time, Sir?"  
  
"Very well." Captain Paelleon re-entered the conference chamber and stood at attention.  
  
"Yes Captain?"  
  
"Sir, is it wise to let him leave with knowledge that you live as well as having seen the new TIE design? He may turn that kind of intel over to the Rebels."  
  
"Who in the New Republic hierarchy would believe a lowly shipping pilot?"  
  
"Forgive me sir, but as you were saying, there is much we don't know of him. Perhaps he has connections that we don't know about."  
  
The Grand Admiral smiled at Captain Paelleon. "That is why we are not letting him get in touch with the New Republic. We will allow him to finish his 'private trip'. This will give me time to research his history more thoroughly. Then, we will pick him up." 


End file.
